The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) revealed that only 10 of the 19 casualties in the April 19 Toboso, Negros Occidental carnage were New People’s Army (NPA) fighters while the rest were civilians.
CPP chief information officer Marco Valbuena said the following were NPA casualties:
- Roger Fabillar (Ka Tapang), NPA commander of the Northern Negros Front;
- Rene Villarin Sr., 57, squad leader;
- Maria Clarita Branzuel Blanco (Ka Sanim/Pat), political instructor;
- Genevieve Balora (Ka Raia), district Party cadre;
- Pedro Bonghanoy, medical officer;
- Joros Caramihan y Ramos, 18;
- Sonny Boy Caramihan, 28;
- Arnel Javoc, 32;
- Labskie Purisimia Enustacion, 33; and
- Jocel Gimang, 18.
Valbuena said Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) own drone footages show Fabillar was alive and apparently in no position to give battle. He said the video “…[indicated Fabillar] was summarily killed by the fascists, instead of being taken in as prisoner of war.”
The CPP said the video was posted online by some local media outlets on April 20 but was taken down hours later.
Valbuena also urged “conscionable elements of the AFP” in possession of other drone footages to smuggle these out and step forward to reveal real accounts of how the incident unfolded.
He admitted that the NPA suffered a tactical defeat on April 19 but remains clear-sighted and determined to advance their revolution.
“We honor the squad of 10 Red fighters of the NPA who fought the fascists to their last breath…Their deaths weigh heavily on our hearts,” Valbuena said in a statement on Monday.
He added that as revolutionary warriors, their fallen comrades selflessly served the Filipino people, especially the oppressed and exploited peasants and farm workers of Negros.
“They were deeply loved by the masses. Defying the military clampdown on their communities, people of Toboso and Calatrava lined up in long convoys to bring their beloved Red fighters to their final resting place, by way of expressing their high respects and deep gratitude,” Valbuena said.
The CPP said it condemns in the strongest terms possible the AFP, particularly the 79th Infantry Battalion, for the indiscriminate and inordinate killing of 19 people, both NPA fighters and unarmed individuals.
9 civilians
The CPP said the following were the civilian victims:
- Roel Sabillo, 19, farmer and resident of Barangay Tabunac, Toboso;
- RJ Nichole Ledesma, 30, journalist from Bacolod City;
- Alyssa Alano, UP Diliman Student Councilor;
- Maureen Keil Santuyo, 24, National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates-Youth member;
- Errol Wendel, 24, Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura member;
- A 15-year-old minor, resident of Sitio Plaranding, Barangay Salamanca, Toboso;
- Lyle Prijoles, 40, of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, from San Franciso, California (USA);
- Kai Sorem, 26, from Seattle, Washington (USA); and
- A 17-year-old minor, resident of Sitio Buklog, Barangay Lalong, Calatrava, Negros Occidental.
Valbuena also said the CPP extends its deepest condolences to the families and friends of the slain civilians.
“Based on the initial information we have gathered, they were killed despite the fact they were unarmed or non-combatants,” Valbuena said.
Earlier reports said that casualties like Ledesma were originally at Sitio Plaranding, three kilometers away from the reported clash site of Sitio Sinugmawan, Barangay Salamanca.
In a statement on Sunday, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said it will conduct its own investigation into the incident to determine status of the casualties, circumstances of engagement, and proportionality based on verifiable facts and due process. “In case of doubt, persons shall be presumed civilians,” the CHR said.
[READ] Toboso Massacre: CHR announces investigation; demands for independent probes mount
The CPP said the officers and operating troops of the AFP are culpable for willful and indiscriminate killing and must be made to account and punished under international humanitarian law.
AFP’s contrasting claims of recovered firearms from seven to 24 is an attempt at cover up and make it appear that casualties were armed combatants, Valbuena said.
He added that the AFP forcibly evacuated hundreds of local residents and cordoned them off to impose an information blackout and prevent the media and independent groups from conducting interviews and an effective investigation into the incident. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
