A ranking official of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said the body respects the proposed House inquiry over the April 19 clash in Toboso, Negros Occidental, even as they hope the investigation will see to it that no more minors or foreigners will be drawn into insurgency.
NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., in a statement, was referring to the filing of House Resolution 968.
“The task force recognizes that legislative inquiries, when conducted in good faith, are an important part of democratic governance. Our legislators’ efforts to establish facts, clarify circumstances, and determine whether policy or measures are needed are important exercises of oversight. We therefore welcome any lawful process anchored on evidence, objectivity and the commitment to truth,” Torres said.
He said the NTF-ELCAC stands by the account of government troops that the incident in Toboso was an armed encounter between government forces and the New People’s Army’s North Negros Front, and a result of the vigilance of the residents of the communities.
“Reports indicate that the operation was triggered by civilian information, and subsequent intelligence confirmed the presence of an armed formation, the recovery of weapons, and the neutralization of individuals engaged in hostilities,” Torres said.
He said these are the conditions of an active conflict environment.
“Even the Communist Party of the Philippines itself admitted that a ‘tactical defeat’ occurred in an armed encounter. You cannot claim a “tactical defeat” and, in the same breath, insist that those involved were merely unarmed civilians. That contradiction raises serious questions and risks distorting the facts surrounding what was clearly a combat situation,” Torres said.
He added any inquiry on the Toboso encounter must be careful not to obscure this “fundamental reality.”
“The pursuit of ‘balanced narratives’ should not lead to false equivalence between state forces operating under the Constitution and armed groups that function outside the rule of law,” Torres said.
He said mechanisms for accountability are already in place.
He said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) operates under established rules of engagement, international humanitarian law, and a chain of command subject to civilian authority.
“These are not ad hoc systems, but structured mechanisms designed to uphold discipline, legality, and the protection of civilians,” Torres added.
He said these rules distinguish AFP lawful operations from actions carried out outside the legal framework, such as the NPA’s killings of civilians in Negros, which they justified by spy-tagging.
Community reports now indicate at least 46 cases of such summary killings across the island.
“If the objective of the inquiry is to prevent similar incidents in the future, then the discussion must go beyond the encounter itself. It must confront the conditions that allow armed elements to operate within communities, recruit individuals, including children, the youth, and even outside the country, and sustain activities that inevitably lead to violent confrontation,” Torres said. (PNA)