RJ NICHOLE Ledesma was a journalist. Alyssa Alano was a UP Diliman student leader. Maureen Santuyo was a young peasant advocate and also a student of the UP Open University. Errol Wendel was a peasant organizer, researcher, and artist. Lyle Prijoles was a Filipino-American human rights advocate.
These youth, who have gone to peasant communities to learn and to serve, are among the nineteen slain on April 19 when soldiers opened fire in Barangay Salamanca Toboso, Negros Occidental.
According to various reports, the majority of the nineteen were non-combatants. Those who are responsible for their untimely deaths did not simply take God’s gift of life, they also contravened the principles of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). One basic principle is to accord due respect and treatment for civilians.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines has issued public statements labeling all those killed as combatants of the New People’s Army (NPA). On the other hand, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) released a statement acknowledging three of those slain were NPA members.
The rest were, like RJ, Alyssa, Maureen, Wendell, and Lyle, either peasant advocates or ordinary villagers. Even in death, they were red-tagged and vilified.
International humanitarian law (IHL) states that those involved in an armed conflict should refrain from engaging in battle in the presence of civilians. The reason for this is to avoid unnecessary deaths and injury to civilian populations.
Even the slain NPA members are guaranteed their rights under IHL. If they have lost the capacity to fight, are wounded, or have surrendered, they should be treated as humanely as possible.
The Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) believes the en masse killings in Toboso are a wake-up call for all of us. It has jarred us with the realization that the ongoing armed conflict has taken out humanity in some of those involved in it.
The PEPP beseeches the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) to walk the extra mile explore creative and sincere ways to resume the formal peace negotiations.
These negotiations should seriously consider the very root causes of why there is ongoing armed conflict in our country.
The PEPP maintains that principled negotiations, not the surrender of one party to the other, is what makes for genuine peace.
We also implore them to uphold the Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CAHRIHL), so that deplorable incidents like this can be avoided or can at least be thoroughly investigated and the guilty made accountable.
Yes, the peace negotiations must continue yet justice must be rendered to the victims of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the country.
We lend our voices to the urgent call for an independent and impartial investigation into the deaths of the Negros 19.
“When peacemakers plant seeds of peace, they will harvest justice.” - James 3:18
Peace cannot prosper if it is not rooted in truth and justice.
Issued and Signed on this day, April 25, 2026
Sgd.
Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, DD
Co-chairperson, PEPP
Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro
Sgd.
Bishop Emeritus Rex B. Reyes, Jr., ECP
Co-chairperson, PEPP
Ecumenical Bishops Forum, Inc.
Sgd.
Ms. Minnie Anne Mata-Calub, IFI
General Secretary, NCCP
Sgd.
Rev. Dr. Aldrin Penamora, PCEC
Deputy Director
Justice, Peace and Reconciliation Commission
Sgd.
Bishop Emeritus Deogracias S. Iniguez, Jr., DD
PEPP Head of the Secretariat
Sgd.
Sr. Mary John D. Mananzan, OSB
Women & Gender Commission, CMSP
