We condemn in the strongest terms possible the Armed Forces of the Philippines, particularly the 79th Infantry Battalion, for the indiscriminate and inordinate killing of 19 people, both Red fighters of the New People’s Army, and unarmed individuals in Barangay Salamanca in Toboso town, Negros Occidental last April 19.

We honor the squad of ten Red fighters of the NPA who fought the fascists to their last breath. They are:

  1. Roger Fabillar (Ka Tapang), who served as NPA commander of the Northern Negros Front
  2. Sonny Boy Caramihan, 28, from Barangay Bagonbon, San Carlos City;
  3. Rene Villarin Sr, 57, Barangay Marcelo, Calatrava, squad leader;
  4. Pedro Bonghanoy, medical officer, Barangay Libertad, Escalante City;
  5. Arnel Javoc, 32, from Barangay Lalong, Calatrava;
  6. Joros Caramihan y Ramos, 18, from Don Salvador Benedicto;
  7. Maria Clarita Branzuel Blanco (Ka Sanim/Pat), Political Instructor; and
  8. Genevieve Balora (Ka Raia), from Bacolod City, district Party cadre
  9. Labskie Purisimia Enustacion, 33, of Sitio Tinibawan, Barangay Bug-ang, Toboso
  10. Jocel Gimang, 18, of Sitio Bautista, Barangay Malasibog, Escalante City

We commiserate with the loved ones and comrades of the fallen Red fighters of the NPA. Their deaths weigh heavily on our hearts. As revolutionary warriors, they all selflessly served the Filipino people, especially the oppressed and exploited peasants and farmworkers 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.

The New People’s Army suffered a tactical defeat that fateful day, but remains clear-sighted and determined to advance along the revolutionary path towards strategic victory. The valiant stand and heroism of its Red fighters in Toboso inspire the oppressed masses to rise and resist through armed revolution. The blood spilt by the fallen warriors during their final battle nurtures the ground for the people’s war, from which will spring forth even more Red fighters of the New People’s Army.

We also extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of:

  1. Roel Sabillo, 19, resident of Barangay Tabunac, Toboso
  2. R.J. Nichole Ledesma, 30, community journalist from Bacolod City
  3. Alyssa Alano, councilor, UP Diliman Student Council
  4. Maureen Keil Santuyo, 24, member, National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates (NNARA-Youth)
  5. Errol Wendel Chen, 24, member, Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura
  6. Jemina Gumadlas, 15, resident of Sitio Plarending, Barangay Salamanca, Toboso
  7. Lyle Prijoles, 40, of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, from San Franciso, California (USA)
  8. Kai Sorem, 26, from Seattle, Washington (USA)
  9. Dexter Patajo, 17, Sitio Buklog, Barangay Lalong, Calatrava, Negros Occidental

Based on the initial information we have gathered, they were killed despite the fact they were unarmed or non-combatants. Among them are a journalist, a student leader, peasant organizers, overseas human rights workers and local residents. Two of the victims were children.

We pay tribute to the victims of the Toboso Massacre, both the Red fighters and all those who selflessly chose to offer their strength, knowledge and abilities to serve the interests of the oppressed and exploited masses. Let us follow the path they took for the salvation of the nation.

The officers and operating troops of the AFP are culpable for willful and indiscriminate killing. They must be made to account and punished for their gross crimes under international humanitarian law.

Video footage from the AFP’s own drone cameras has also surfaced on social media showing Ka Tapang was alive, and apparently in no position to give battle. This indicates that he was summarily killed by the fascists, instead of being taken in as prisoner of war. We urge other conscionable elements of the AFP who possess other drone footages to smuggle these out and step forward to reveal real accounts of how the brutal crimes were carried out, against the stories being weaved by their superiors.

The AFP is desperately trying to cover up their crimes, concocting twisted facts to prop up its lies. The AFP’s initial claim that seven firearms were recovered from the site was later “updated” to 20 (later 24), to make it appear that all those killed were armed combatants.

The AFP forcibly evacuated local residents then cordoned them off to impose an information blackout and prevent the media and independent groups from conducting interviews and an effective investigation into the massacre. Days later, a military-organized group was allowed to conduct its own “fact finding mission,” a sham designed to fabricate an AFP-certified story that aligns with their official fiction of a “legitimate operation.”

Incredulous, various personalities and sectors have called for an independent investigation. The Commission on Human Rights has announced it will conduct one, although it had made similar empty pronouncements in the past. Recall how it promised to investigate the 2023 Fausto family massacre in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental involving the AFP’s 94th Infantry Battalion, but has failed to come up with anything substantive almost three years since.

The broad masses of the Filipino people suffer worsening forms of oppression and exploitation in the face of the deepening crisis under the Marcos puppet and fascist regime. Marcos has ordered his armed minions in the AFP and the National Task Force-Elcac to escalate their attacks on the people in the guise of “peace and development.” Like his dictator father, Marcos Jr employs terror tactics to subject people to political repression, particularly in the countryside, where martial law reigns.

State terrorism has never succeeded in crushing the will of the people. The attacks of the Marcos regime will fail to stop the people from fighting back. On the contrary, its fascist brutality only sharpens the people’s resolve, making undeniable the justness and necessity of waging armed revolution.

The New People’s Army stands unwavering in its determination to deliver revolutionary justice to all victims of the Toboso massacre.

The flames of the people’s war will rage on and spread across the country, as the Filipino people’s aspiration for national freedom and genuine democracy burn strongly in their hearts.

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