Members of militant and progressive groups staged a protest on Friday, April 24, in front of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo, condemning what they called the “Negros massacre” following a recent anti-insurgency operation in Toboso, Negros Occidental that left 19 people dead.
In a report on "Damdaming Bayan" by RH Edniel Parrosa, among the groups that participated in the protest were the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), Karapatan, and other allied organizations.
Around 70 individuals joined the rally, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP) monitoring the situation along EDSA Santolan Northbound.
The demonstrators criticized the military operation, claiming that the incident, which reportedly killed 19 individuals—including University of the Philippines student leader Alyssa Alano and community journalist RJ Nichole Ledesma—was a "massacre" and not a legitimate armed encounter.
They also rejected the Philippine Army’s account that those killed were members of the New People’s Army (NPA), asserting that several of the fatalities were civilians and human rights advocates who were allegedly caught in the operation.
Earlier, the Philippine Army has insisted that those involved in the operation were armed combatants engaged in an active clash with government forces. Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala questioned claims that the fatalities were merely students or non-combatants, pointing to the location as an active encounter site.
The AFP also defended the operation, stating that it complied with human rights standards and international humanitarian law. Officials maintained that the military action was part of ongoing counterinsurgency operations targeting armed rebel groups.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. likewise supported the operation, saying it was directed against alleged NPA members.
He added that if any of the individuals were not combatants, their presence in an active conflict zone could still raise legal questions, including possible "obstruction" or assistance to armed groups.
The protest at Camp Aguinaldo remained largely peaceful, though security forces were deployed in the area to monitor the demonstration and manage traffic along nearby EDSA.
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan at iba pang grupo, sumugod sa tapat ng Camp Aguinaldo upang kundenahin ang tinawag nilang ‘Negros massacre’ | RH 52 @ednielparrosa, DZRH News pic.twitter.com/Nzr0ZB9KO6
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) April 24, 2026
