PRESS STATEMENT April 27, 2026
The Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines stands alongside the families of the Toboso Massacre victims in demanding justice and in condemnation of the intensified military operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
On April 19, Sunday, the AFP through its 303rd Infantry Brigade reported of an “armed encounter” in Toboso, Negros Occidental, killing 19 individuals. Contrary to claims of the AFP, the incident is more fittingly called a brutal massacre, with further reports and testimonies revealing majority of the victims are non-combatants. Notably, six of the victims were identified: student leader Alyssa Alano, peasant advocates Errol Wendel Chen and Maureen Santuyo, environmental defender and journalist RJ Ledesma, and Filipino-American rights advocate and activists Lyle Prijoles and Kai Sorem. They have been immersing with farmers to understand the conditions of rural communities in Negros. We express deep-seated respect to the victims for dedicating utmost time and capacity in service of the most marginalized.
The Guihulngan 6, Sagay Massacre, and the Himamaylan family Massacre–all are proof that the Toboso Massacre is not an isolated case of bloodshed from militarization. Negros Island has faced a centuries-long state repression, documented to have intensified, alongside land-grabbing and development aggression, through the establishment of Memorandum Order No. 32 which was implemented opposite to its goals of suppressing lawless violence.
Private corporations, such as in the case of Hacienda Asia Plantation, Inc. (HAPI), have caused irreversible environmental destruction to Negros, by denuding forests, ancestral domains, and agricultural lands—which also serve as Negrenses’ major source of livelihood—and converting them into monocrop palm oil plantations. Ledesma, one of the Toboso 19, was notably reporting on the large-scale renewable energy projects, reclamation projects, and the expansion of palm oil plantations alongside their effects on the displaced and vulnerable communities. These prove that the state has been blinded by projects masquerading as advancements, but only truly add to the bloodshed of Negros and its people.
As climate activists, we also contend that the disruptive and destructive nature of militarization is in direct opposition to the restorative nature of a healthy ecosystem, which is already severely compromised due to the long-standing disregard of the military for the environment and its people.
We urge the state to uphold the International Humanitarian Law and allow an independent investigation into the deaths of the Toboso 19. We join the call to end militarization of communities and the U.S.-backed violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
Justice to the victims of the Toboso 19 Massacre!
Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines 