MANILA – A National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) official on Friday rejected claims that 19 New People’s Army (NPA) members were massacred in the April 19 encounter in Toboso, Negros Occidental, insisting the incident was a legitimate armed engagement.

NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said government forces repeatedly called on the armed group to surrender before and during the clash.

“Government forces continuously called on members of the armed group to surrender because no one wanted these encounters to happen,” Torres told the Philippine News Agency.

“Tragically, opportunities for peace were repeatedly ignored and rejected even during the lull in combat.”

Torres said the 19 individuals killed in the incident were combatants who died during an armed engagement with state forces.

He dismissed assertions that some of the fatalities were civilians or non-combatants, citing what he described as physical evidence, forensic findings, crime scene reports, and admissions from the Communist Party of the Philippines–New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

Quoting 3rd Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Michael Samson, Torres said government troops encountered armed individuals and treated them as combatants during the operation.

He also cited clarification regarding individuals identified as Alysa Alano and RJ Ledesma.

“Regardless of prior identity, profession, or affiliation, individuals found armed and actively participating during an encounter are combatants in that operational context,” Torres said.

Torres said forensic results showed that 11 of the 19 fatalities tested positive for gunpowder residue, based on findings presented by Police Col. Reynaldo Calaoa of the Regional Forensic Unit–Negros Island Region.

He said the results should be viewed in light of environmental conditions at the scene, noting that several bodies were exposed to seawater and high tide for nearly 24 hours before recovery.

He added that gunshot residue can be degraded by environmental factors such as saltwater exposure, sand abrasion, and movement during recovery operations.

“Yet despite these extraordinary conditions, a majority still tested positive. That is not a small detail. That is powerful forensic evidence supporting the reality of an active firefight,” Torres said.

He also cautioned against drawing conclusions from the eight negative results, saying these do not necessarily prove non-involvement in firing weapons.

He cited the case of Roger Fabillar, alias “Jong,” identified as a commander of the Northern Negros Front, who reportedly tested negative despite being recognized by authorities and the NPA as among the slain.

Torres also cited Police Brig. Gen. Dennis Wenceslao, who presented SOCO findings showing the recovery of more than 20 firearms, ammunition, expended cartridges, communication equipment, backpacks, hammocks, medical supplies, and other materials at the site.

He said at least 10 of the fatalities have been publicly identified and acknowledged by the NPA as members of their group.

Torres further said three child combatants were among those recovered, citing the identification of Josel Guimang as a 17-year-old fighter.

He added that forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun observed no signs of close-range firing among the fatalities, which he said supports the conclusion of a legitimate encounter.

Torres also pointed to shifting statements from the CPP-NPA regarding the number of its members involved, saying these inconsistencies do not change the facts of the incident.

“The totality of evidence now speaks clearly: physical evidence, forensic examination, scene investigation, recovered war materiel, and admissions from the armed movement itself all point in one direction. The Toboso incident was not a massacre. It was a legitimate armed engagement. Facts matter. Evidence matters. Forensics matter,” he said.