MANILA – A military raid on a suspected communist hideout in the Philippines left 19 people dead, including two US citizens, prompting a human rights investigation amid claims of excessive force in a remote sugar cane region.
The clash unfolded on April 19, 2026, in Toboso municipality on Negros island, where gunfire drove over 300 residents from their homes, according to the local disaster management office. Only one soldier suffered wounds, but the high death toll fueled outrage and calls for scrutiny.
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) confirmed late on April 25 that Americans Lyle Prijoles and Kai Dana-Rene Sorem, who arrived in Negros Occidental province about a month earlier, were among the slain. All 19 fatalities were labeled combatants from the New People’s Army (NPA), the insurgent group waging a nearly 60-year rebellion against the government. Prijoles’ name surfaced soon after the encounter, while the US Embassy has not commented.
Philippine Congresswoman Leila de Lima demanded an urgent probe into the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion operation on April 25, citing the deaths of a young student and a community journalist. Rights group Karapatan echoed concerns, questioning the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) tactics given the lopsided casualties.
The military rejected massacre allegations, calling it a legitimate firefight. Troops seized 24 firearms and received medals, with Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala stating on April 26 that the unit was targeting NPA remnants in one of central Philippines’ active guerrilla zones. The NPA now numbers under 2,000 fighters, per military estimates. Dema-ala welcomed the Commission on Human Rights inquiry, insisting evidence would vindicate the operation.