The killings of five alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in a so-called series of armed encounters with government troops in Cauayan, Negros Occidental on May 16, following the Toboso massacre on April 19, further exposes the failure of government claims that the insurgency has been effectively crushed.

For weeks, the government through the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has maintained that all those killed in Toboso, Negros Occidental on April 19 were combatants. This claim has been called into serious question by the findings of a recent fact-finding mission conducted by human rights and people’s organizations, as well as by the earlier statement of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) that 9 of the 19 individuals killed were civilians while the remaining 10 were NPA members.

These accounts coincide with the naming of civilian victims that include students, a journalist, community organizers, and rural youth. Initial autopsy findings by a forensic pathologist also raised serious questions regarding the military’s version of events, including gunshot wounds sustained from behind.

The presence of student leaders among those killed in Toboso and Cauayan underscores the continuing resonance especially among the youth of the social injustices and conditions that have long fueled armed resistance. Their involvement directly contradicts repeated military pronouncements that the insurgency is already “dead” or has lost all political significance. Far from demonstrating victory, these incidents reveal the bankruptcy of a purely militarist approach that seeks to suppress the conflict through force while leaving unaddressed the conditions that continue to drive it.

These contradictions demand not dismissal but scrutiny. Video footage from the AFP’s own drone cameras posted on social media after the Toboso massacre—later taken down—showed that one of the victims, Roger Fabillar, was alive and in no position to give battle. This indicates that he was summarily killed instead of being taken prisoner.

Despite public outrage, the government’s response has been grossly inadequate. Public statements from defense officials have advanced the untenable position that mere presence in an area where armed encounters occur justifies lethal force or even criminal liability. Such assertions run counter to the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, particularly the doctrines of distinction, proportionality, and precaution, which the Philippine government is bound to uphold.

Pronouncements from government spokespersons in the wake of the Toboso and Cauayan killings have emphasized military narratives but have not addressed the core questions: how state forces responded upon becoming aware of civilian presence in the areas of operation, what precautions were taken to protect non-combatants, and how accountability will be ensured in compliance with obligations under international humanitarian law.

These gaps are not merely procedural but reflect a deeper policy vacuum. Recent changes in peace process leadership should be seized to move beyond reactive crisis management toward a coherent and principled approach to the armed conflict.

We, former consultants in peace negotiations jailed on trumped-up charges, call on the GRP authorities to take the following urgent and concrete steps:

  1. Support and convene a genuinely independent, transparent, and adequately resourced investigation into the Toboso and Cauayan killings, with full access to evidence and witnesses, and with findings made public.

  2. Issue a clear policy statement affirming its commitment to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and the accountability of state forces for violations.

  3. Resume formal peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. Despite the intent to resume peace talks expressed in the joint statement of the representatives of the GRP and the NDFP in Oslo in November 2023, the preparatory meetings stalled due to the GRP’s insistence that the disposition of armed forces be treated as the primary subject, relegating the roots of the armed conflict to the background while setting aside significant agreements already reached by the two parties in earlier peace negotiations.

  4. Recognize that the continued detention of political prisoners—many elderly, sick, or held on manufactured charges—is inseparable from the broader question of peace. Meaningful confidence-building measures, including the release of political prisoners on humanitarian grounds, are essential to any credible peace process.

The massacre in Toboso, including those of civilians and minors, and the subsequent killings in Cauayan, underscore the human cost of a conflict left to fester without political resolution. The GRP must move beyond rhetoric and cosmetic measures that merely manage public perception. It must act decisively, transparently, and in accordance with its obligations under both domestic and international law.

Anything less perpetuates the very conditions that give rise to conflict.

By political prisoners and former NDFP consultants in the peace talks
Vicente Ladlad
Adelberto Silva
Wigberto Villarico

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