MANILA – The Philippine Army (PA) night dismissed allegations from militant groups that the April 19 encounter in Toboso, Negros Occidental was a massacre carried out by government troops against individuals assisting farmers in asserting land rights.

In a statement, the Army said it recognizes the sensitivity of the incident and respects the right of groups and families to seek clarification, but stressed that any fact-finding effort must be based on verified and contextualized information.

“The Army recognizes the sensitivity of the incident and respects the right of concerned groups and families to seek clarification. However, any fact-finding effort must be anchored on complete, verified and contextualized facts,” it said.

The PA was responding to a “National Fact-Finding Mission” video posted by militant group Anakbayan, which claimed that government troops were already in the area ahead of the April 19 clash and that those killed were helping farmers assert land rights over some 18 hectares in Barangay Salamanca.

The Army said the video was a deliberate attempt to distort established facts, adding that operational records and recovered evidence show the individuals involved were armed combatants.

“Available operational records and evidence recovered from the encounter site indicate that the individuals were not merely present as ordinary researchers or media workers. They were active combatants who were fighting alongside Roger Fabillar, a notorious communist-terrorist leader who is facing multiple arrest warrants,” it said.

The PA identified six individuals mentioned in the video as RJ Ledesma, Kai Sorem, Alyssa Alano, Lyle Prijoles, Errol Wendel, and Maureen Santuyo, saying they were found with members of communist armed groups in an active insurgent encampment.

It added that local officials said these individuals allegedly failed to coordinate with authorities prior to their presence in the area.

The Army also cited a resolution from the Toboso municipal government declaring remnants of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) as persona non grata.

It said the armed group is linked to violence, loss of lives, and disruption of development efforts, adding that the legitimacy of the operation was supported by local officials, including Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, who said the encounter was based on civilian-led intelligence.

“While we stand ready to use necessary force to defend innocent civilians from any threat, we continue to call on CTG remnants to abandon their futile armed struggle and to choose the path of peace,” it added.