The Philippine Army on Thursday maintained that a University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman student council member, along with 18 others killed in a recent encounter in Toboso, Negros Occidental, on Sunday, were members of the New People’s Army (NPA), amid growing scrutiny over the incident.
This comes after the UP Diliman University Student Council (USC) confirmed that one of the fatalities, Alyssa Alano, served as its Education and Research councilor and was in the area for what it described as a community visit when the encounter occurred.
According to a report by RH Edniel Parrosa on MBC TV Network News, in an ambush interview at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, Philippine Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said the individuals involved were "armed combatants."
He questioned claims that the fatalities were merely students, pointing to their presence at an active clash site.
“Binabalik na natin sa kanila kung sinasabi nilang mga estudyante lang sila doon, ano ang ginagawa nila doon sa encounter site, may hawak na baril at nakikipagbarilan sa ating mga sundalo,” Dema-ala said.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. also defended the military’s operation in Toboso, Negros Occidental, which targeted alleged NPA members.
“Anong ginagawa ng estudyante kung estudyante man talaga ‘yun doon sa engkuwentro, bakit kasama ng NPA, 'yun ang dapat itanong sa kanila,” Teodoro said.
Teodoro further said that if the individuals were not combatants, their presence at the encounter site could still raise legal concerns, describing it as a possible "obstruction" or aiding armed groups.
“At kung nandun yung estudyante, hindi man kombatan, obstruction of justice or aiding and abetting ‘yun so kasama din ‘yun,” he added.
Aside from Alano, authorities also identified among those killed a nominee of the Kabataan Partylist in the 2022 elections, as well as community journalist RJ Nichole Ledesma.
The 79th Infantry Battalion reported recovering 24 firearms from the encounter site following the operation.
Meanwhile, the UP Diliman Student Council condemned the incident and demanded justice for its councilor, Alano.
