The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said the reported involvement of two American nationals and minors in separate armed encounters with government forces indicates what it described as a widening recruitment pattern within the New People’s Army (NPA).
In a statement, NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Undersecretary Ernesto C. Torres Jr. said recent incidents in Negros Occidental and Samar suggest that the armed group is increasingly drawing recruits from vulnerable sectors, including foreign nationals and minors.
Authorities said two American nationals, identified as Lyle Prijoles and Kai Dana-Rene Sorem, were among 19 alleged NPA combatants killed during an April 19, 2026 encounter in Toboso, Negros Occidental. The Negros Police reported the fatalities following the clash with government forces.
Also among those reported killed in the same encounter were two minors, identified as Jolinda Jimena, 16, and Dexter Patoja, 17, based on police investigation and claims from relatives, according to the statement.
In a separate incident on April 17, 2026, the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division reported that another minor, identified only as alias “John Paul,” was killed during an armed encounter in Samar.
NTF-ELCAC said the presence of foreign nationals and minors in these incidents reflects what it described as a troubling shift in recruitment practices and a possible strain in the group’s local support base.
The task force reiterated that the recruitment and use of minors in armed conflict are prohibited under International Humanitarian Law, Republic Act No. 11188 or the Special Protection of Children in Situations of Armed Conflict Act, Republic Act No. 7610, and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict.
Authorities said investigations into the incidents are ongoing.
The NTF-ELCAC urged families, schools, and communities, including those abroad, to remain vigilant against recruitment efforts that may place individuals, particularly minors, in situations of armed conflict.
