Tanggol Magsasaka condemns the military operations in Barangay Salamanca and Barangay San Jose, Toboso town in Negros Occidental that have forcibly displaced more than 650 residents from 168 households beginning April 19. What unfolded in Toboso is not a mere “encounter” but a clear escalation of violence in civilian communities already burdened by non-stop militarization.

Based on media reports, residents fled amid gunfire and fear, abandoning homes, farms, and livelihoods. In rural Negros, displacement is not a temporary inconvenience but immediate hunger, loss of income, and deepening insecurity for already impoverished farming families. This pattern of forcing civilians out through armed operations has long been documented, alongside harassment, intimidation, and threats by State forces.

Even more alarming are reports that the same operations led to the killing of at least 19 individuals alleged by the military to be members of the New People’s Army. Yet accounts from families challenge this narrative. One relative has already come forward to assert that a victim was a farmer, not a combatant. As of now, authorities have failed to fully identify those killed, raising serious doubts about the conduct of operations and the truth behind claims of the military..

Whether civilians or combatants, the scale of killings demands urgent scrutiny. The number alone raises grave concerns on the use of force, the absence of safeguards to protect lives, and blatant disregard for International Humanitarian Law (IHL). The possibility that this incident constitutes a massacre even under the guise of an armed encounter cannot be dismissed and must be investigated thoroughly.

This incident reflects a broader and dangerous trend under the Marcos Jr. administration. Counterinsurgency frameworks such as the National Action Plan for Unity, Peace and Development (NAP-UPD) continue to enable military operations in civilian areas, blurring the line between combatants and non-combatants. In practice, these policies have turned farming communities into battle zones.

Negros has long been subjected to these tactics red-tagging, forced evacuations, and extrajudicial killings rooted in a system that refuses to address landlessness and rural poverty. Militarization persists not to resolve conflict, but to suppress resistance and maintain an unjust status quo in the countryside.

Tanggol Magsasaka calls for an urgent, independent, and impartial investigation into the Toboso incident, including the reported killings and displacement of residents. We demand accountability from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the immediate halting of military operations in civilian communities. ###