By CESAR JOLITO III
Two individuals identified by advocacy and academic groups as student activists and community journalists were among those killed in an armed encounter in Negros Occidental’s Toboso town on Sunday, April 19, that left 19 people dead.
Alternative media network Altermidya and the University of the Philippines (UP) – Diliman University Student Council (UPD-USC) have identified two of those killed as:
* RJ Nichole Ledesma, a writer and editor for Paghimutad Negros and graduate of the University of St. La Salle-Bacolod
* Alyssa Alano, a councilor of the UPD-USC and chairperson of the League of Filipino Students – UP-Diliman Chapter
In a statement, UP-Diliman USC said Alano was in Toboso for a community visit “to learn about the conditions of the community amid alleged militarization,” and condemned what it described as “indiscriminate strafing” during military operations.
The group called for justice and accountability.
Altermidya Network also confirmed Ledesma’s death, describing him as an immersion journalist who had been documenting the impacts of development projects on rural communities, including renewable energy expansions and agrarian issues in Negros.
The organization said he was in the area for community reporting work.
Human rights group Human Rights Advocates Negros added that Ledesma was not in the initial encounter site in Sitio Sinugmawan but was reportedly caught in a separate area in Sitio Plariding during follow-up military operations.
Ledesma also served as editor-in-chief of Spectrum, the student publication of the University of St. La Salle – Bacolod, and was previously active in student and party-list political organizing.
His work through Paghimutad Negros, which he helped lead since 2020, focused on grassroots reporting, including issues faced by farmers, farm workers and communities affected by large-scale land and energy projects.
The Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion has yet to release a full list of casualties and has not publicly confirmed individual identities.
Meanwhile, human rights group Karapatan raised concerns over the conduct of the military operation, citing reports that more than 653 residents from 168 households were forced to evacuate in Toboso following the clashes.
The group called for an independent investigation, raising the possibility of violations of International Humanitarian Law depending on the circumstances of the fatalities.
“Whether civilians or combatants, the number of those killed raises serious questions on proportionality and safeguards to protect lives,” Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay said, calling for an urgent, impartial probe.
As of press time, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has not issued further details regarding the identities of those killed or responded directly to claims of civilian involvement raised by advocacy groups./CJ, WDJ