‘Massacre capital’: AFP committed human rights violations in Negros — fact-finding team

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) not only mishandled evidence, crime scenes and even bodies of the deceased, but also committed other “alarming actions” in Toboso, Negros Occidental, according to the initial results of a fact-finding mission.

Among these are interrogation at gunpoint, illegal detention, indiscriminate firing and forced evacuation, fact-finders said.

They also pointed out several indications of alleged mishandling of evidence and the crime scenes by the state forces, such as a lack of proper documentation and processing of the remains, possible planting of evidence and switching of bodies, such as in the case of peasant organizer Errol Wendel.

The team also cited the findings of forensic pathologist Raquel Fortune that some of the victims' bodies have gunshot wounds on their backs, indicating that they were shot from behind.

This contradicts the photos taken by the military showing the remains of the victims facing upwards.

Civilians, not combatants

The team’s May 14 mission in Sitio Sinagmawan and Sitio Plaringding also refuted the military’s narrative that all of the 19 victims were combatants.

According to the initial findings, the residents reportedly identified six individuals as civilians:

• RJ Nichole Ledesma, 30, community journalist 
• Alyssa Alano, councilor of the University of the Philippines - University Student Council (UPD-USC)
• Maureen Keil Santuyo, 24, member of the National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates (NNARA-Youth)
• Errol Wendel, 24, member of Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA)
• Lyle Prijoles, 40, from the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines
• Kai Sorem, 26, from Seattle, Washington

Locals further told the fact-finders that they had personally talked with these individuals about agrarian issues and they were not carrying any firearms.

A month after: Families seek justice for Toboso 19

A month after the incident, families and friends of the victims, along with different progressive groups, lit candles at the Quezon Hall in UP Diliman on Tuesday night, May 19, to call for justice and accountability from the military.

“Nandoon sila para tumulong at makiisa sa mga magsasaka at maralitang matagal nang pinagkaitan ng karapatan, ng mga inagawan ng lupa, pinabayaan ng sistemang dapat sana’y nagtatanggol sa kanila,” Sheila Alano, the mother of the slain UPD-USC councilor Alyssa Alano said.

(They [victims] were there to help and stand in solidarity with farmers and the poor who have long been deprived of their rights, those who have been deprived of land, and those who have been abandoned by a system that was supposed to protect them.]

“Sila ay handang tumulong para sa mahihirap, kaya masakit para sa ating lahat na pinatay ng militar ang mga taong may malasakit sa taumbayan, tulad ni Alyssa, Errol, Mau, RJ, at Kyle,” she added.

Justice remains elusive until now, progressive groups said. 

(They [victims] were willing to help the poor, which is why it is painful for all of us that the military killed people who cared for the public, such as Alyssa, Errol, Mau, RJ and Kyle.)

Massacre capital. Human rights groups and other civic society organizations believe that what happened in Negros was a massacre, contrary to what the military described as an armed encounter.

The National Chairperson of UMA Ariel Casilao even called the Negros the “massacre capital of human rights and international humanitarian violations” during the presentation of the findings of the mission.

“This is what data shows. Remember the Sagay Massacre, remember the Fausto massacre, remember the massacres that have happened in the entire island of Negros,” Casilao said.

Philippine Army slams fact-finding report

Meanwhile, the Philippine Army rejected the results of the fact-finding mission through a statement.

“The result of the ‘National Fact-Finding and Solidarity Mission’ is nothing more than time-worn propaganda being peddled by the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) to cover up their irreversible defeat,” the statement from AFP spokesperson Col. Louie G. Dema-ala, MNSA (INF) PA, said.

They passed the blame to the youth organizations for allegedly radicalizing the youth and leading them to armed struggle.

Intimidation during investigation. On the other hand, human rights groups KARAPATAN also claimed that the fact-finding team experienced intimidation from state forces during the investigation.

“During a courtesy call at the Barangay Hall of Barangay Salamanca, around five unidentified individuals were also observed openly photographing the delegates, raising serious concerns over surveillance and intimidation aimed at obstructing independent human rights documentation efforts,” KARAPATAN said in a statement.

The fact-finding mission was composed of human rights defenders, lawmakers, activists, journalists and churchworkers. The mission demands justice for the victims, as well as the demilitarization of Negros Occidental.