DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro has rejected the possibility of getting on the table again with members of the New People’s Army (NPA) for peace talks.
“Ang aming pwedeng gawin talaga ay masugpo ‘yung armado. Pero over and above that, ang ating mga sundalo ay tinatanggap ang mga returning rebels katulong ng local government,” Teodoro said during a meeting with Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Sixth District Representative Mercedes Alvarez at the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
Teodoro firmly rejected anew allegations of irregularity in the military operations in Toboso and Cauayan that resulted in casualties among the members of the armed communist group, cautioning against the narratives that seek to give credence to the push for peace talks with the communist terrorist group.
“They are using the tragic death of these 19 as a propaganda tool for them to gain relevance, power, and maybe they seek the status of legitimacy,” he said. “I'm sorry, it's not going to fly.”
Human rights advocates tagged the Toboso incident as a massacre rather than an armed encounter.
Among those killed were University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman University Student Council (USC) Councilor Alyssa Alano, and two US citizens Lyle Prijoles and Kai Dana-Rene Sorem. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)