APCHRP: U.S.-Marcos Jr. regime obscuring independent investigation into Toboso Massacre by barring entry of foreign observers
After the violent massacre of 19 individuals in Toboso town, Negros Occidental province last 19 April, a National Fact-Finding and Solidarity Mission was called to gather facts and seek accountability over the events that transpired that day. This Mission would bring together human rights workers, activists, church workers, journalists, youth leaders and legislators from the Makabayan Bloc in the Philippines House of Representatives to investigate the circumstances surrounding the killings and assess the situation on the ground.
This was an important endeavour to shed light on the details of the massacre, which killed student activists and journalists such as Alyssa Alano, RJ Ledesma, Maureen Keil Santuyo, and Errol Wendel. Also among the dead were Filipino-American activists Kai Sorem and Lyle Prijole, as well as minors Dexter Patajo (aged 17), Jemina Gumadlas (aged 15) and Roel Sabillio (aged 19). It is for this reason that the APCHRP condemns the denial of entry of U.S.-based Methodist Rev. Sadie Stone by the U.S.-Marcos Jr. regime. Sadie was prevented from entering the Philippines to join the international delegation in the Fact-Finding and Solidarity Mission, deported and then blacklisted by authorities. This is a brazen move by the U.S.-Marcos Jr. regime to obstruct independent investigations into the Toboso Massacre, which has already been revealed to have several violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and basic human rights.
Residents on the ground had earlier testified that several of those killed were unarmed and were only in the area conducting research on the conditions of peasants and rural folk. These statements contradict the narrative by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) who allege that those killed were rebel combatants with the New People’s Army, and were engaged in a firefight with the military. The Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) also stated that it deployed Errol Wendel and Maureen Santuyo to Negros to conduct research and community work among peasant communities, and not to become combatants with the NPA. Furthermore, Atty. Maria Sol Taule of human rights watchdog, Karapatan, reported that even before the Toboso Massacre occurred, communities in the area had already been subjected to intense military harassment. Residents recounted incidents of soldiers conducting house-to-house operations, pointing firearms at civilians, carrying out surveillance activities, and illegally entering homes in search of alleged members of the NPA. These testimonies stand in stark contrast to the narratives being promoted by military authorities, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), and Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr.
The delegates who were able to participate in the Fact-Finding and Solidarity Mission also reported experiencing intense surveillance during the course of their investigation. Participants recalled seeing unidentified individuals closely following them closely as they moved from one site to another, and even took photographs of them without their permission.
These actions equate to brazen attempts to intimidate independent observers joining the Fact-Finding and Solidarity Mission, much like the blacklisting and deportation of Rev. Sadie Stone. While it is detestable for the regime of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to engage in such activities, it is not surprising. The U.S.-Marcos Jr. regime have a lot to hide with regards to the events that transpired that day in Toboso, Negros Occidental. Their mercenary AFP military have long been guilty of human rights abuses against civilians, and violations of IHL with regards to dealing with legitimate combatants in the ongoing communist revolution.
Still, the APCHRP expresses its strong indignation and vehemently condemns this brazen move by the U.S.-Marcos Jr. regime to obfuscate the facts regarding the Toboso Massacre. The Filipino people have a right to know what happened that led to the killing of 19 individuals, especially the family of the activists killed in the cross-fire who were not armed to begin with. There must be accountability in these grave violations of human rights. We must also shed light on serious concerns regarding compliance with International Humanitarian Law, particularly in relation to the protection of civilians in the name of counterinsurgency operations. The Coalition further calls for the withdrawal of military forces from rural communities, citing residents’ accounts that militarization has brought fear, insecurity, and disruption to their daily lives.
Moreover, the coalition urges the government to address the root causes of armed conflict, including landlessness, exploitation, poverty, and social injustice experienced by the Filipino masses rather than resorting to intensifying military attacks. Finally, it calls on human rights organizations, solidarity networks, and concerned individuals across the globe to continue exposing human rights violations in the Philippines and to support the Filipino people’s struggle for life, land, justice, and human rights.
