Church groups demand justice for Negros 19 massacre

“If we allow such wounds to pass without serious examination, we risk normalizing what should never be tolerated.”

MANILA – Church and ecumenical groups in the Philippines and abroad condemned the recent massacre in Toboso, Negros Occidental, warning against the normalization of violence and erosion of human dignity in the Negros Island.

The statements came after a military operation in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso, Negros Occidental, on April 19 that left 19 people dead. The Armed Forces of the Philippines claimed that those killed were members of the New People’s Army who died in an armed encounter. 

Human rights groups, church workers, relatives, and local residents disputed the claim, saying that the victims were civilians, including students, advocates, and a community journalist. The Commission on Human Rights launched an investigation into the incident.

Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, vice president of Caritas Philippines, urged the public to seek truth beyond the “labels” attached to the victims. 

“Every human life is sacred,” he said. In a pastoral reflection titled “Toboso: In the Search for Truth, Let No Life Be Diminished,” he said that the killings raise unresolved questions, emphasizing the necessity of public accountability and deeper scrutiny. The bishop called for a “credible, independent, and transparent investigation,” protection for witnesses and victims’ families, and full public disclosure of evidence surrounding the operation.

“The April 19 incident in Toboso has left not only lives lost but questions that remain painfully unresolved,” Alminaza said. “Who were the victims? What truly transpired? Were all those killed part of an armed encounter—or were some caught in circumstances that demand deeper scrutiny? No label—whether ‘combatant,’ ‘suspect,’ or ‘collateral’—can erase the fundamental dignity of a person created in the image of God,” he said.

Alminaza stressed that state use of force carries “grave moral weight” and requires not only legality but transparency and accountability. “If even one life was unjustly taken, it is not a minor error—it is a wound to the moral fabric of our society,” he said. “And if we allow such wounds to pass without serious examination, we risk normalizing what should never be tolerated.”

“Without truth, there can be no justice. Without justice, there can be no peace.” he said.

The Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) described the killings as a “wake-up call,” urging an independent and impartial investigation into the deaths. The group said that the incident raised serious concerns under international humanitarian law, including the obligation to distinguish civilians from combatants. “Peace cannot prosper if it is not rooted in truth and justice.”

The California-Nevada Philippine Solidarity Task Force of the United Methodist Church, meanwhile, expressed solidarity with the victims’ families and called attention to what it described as the continuing dangers faced by rural communities in Negros. “This massacre and their lies are proof of the Philippine state’s continued brutality – targeting and killing the poor, oppressed, and those who wish to learn from them and stand with them.” In the statement, the group honored Lyle Prijoles, a Filipino American activist from the California Bay Area.

The Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) Diocese of Bago and PANAW Mindanao likewise condemned the killings and called for justice and protection of civilians. “Their lives were not disposable. Their dignity was not negotiable. And their death cannot be explained away by the language that hides the human cost of violence.”

The incident increased scrutiny of Negros Island, long linked to agrarian unrest, counterinsurgency, and alleged human rights abuses. Advocates and church groups documented cases of farmers, labor organizers, and community workers caught in armed conflict there. (AMU, DAA)

The post Church groups demand justice for Negros 19 massacre appeared first on Bulatlat.