By CESAR JOLITO III
Human rights group Karapatan has criticized a recent security advisory issued by the United States embassy in the Philippines, warning American citizens against associating with groups allegedly linked to the New People’s Army (NPA).
The advisory followed an April 19 military operation in Negros Occidental’s Toboso town, where 19 individuals were killed, including two Filipino-Americans.
US-based activist groups identified the US citizens as 26-year-old Kai Sorem and 40-year-old Lyle Prijoles.
The deadly gunbattle has since drawn national and international attention, with questions raised over the identities and roles of the casualties.
In a statement, Karapatan national council member Raoul Manuel argued that the embassy’s warning echoes the government’s controversial practice of “red-tagging,” which labels individuals or organizations as communist sympathizers without due process.
Manuel said such advisories risk endangering civilians by blurring the distinction between armed combatants and legitimate non-governmental organizations.
He stressed that conflating activism with insurgency undermines protections guaranteed under international humanitarian law.
“This dangerous mindset of deliberately conflating armed resistance with militant protest has already cost the lives and liberty of so many activists, dissenters and political opponents of the ruling regime,” Manuel said.
The US embassy, however, maintained that the advisory is a necessary precaution, citing the NPA’s designation as a terrorist organization and ongoing security concerns in certain areas of the country.
Earlier, the embassy urged American citizens in the Philippines not to affiliate with insurgent or terrorist groups and to immediately leave areas where armed individuals not linked to police or military forces are present.
It also cautioned that some non-governmental organizations may have ties to armed groups.
Americans who are planning to conduct humanitarian work are encouraged to coordinate with organizations registered with the Philippines National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency and local government units to ensure safety and proper documentation, the embassy said.
In separate statements, Anakbayan USA and Bayan USA condemned the deaths of Sorem and Prijoles, describing them as community-oriented advocates who had been engaging with marginalized sectors in Negros Occidental.
Anakbayan-USA said Sorem, who was raised in Washington state, had returned to the Philippines this year to reconnect with her roots and work with farming communities after earlier exposure to the conditions of peasants and fisherfolk.
Bayan-USA said Prijoles, a human rights advocate based in California, was in Negros to immerse with local communities and document their struggles, particularly on land and social justice issues.
The April 19 encounter in Toboso remains under scrutiny, as human rights groups and government authorities continue to present conflicting accounts regarding the circumstances of the clash and the status of those killed./CJ, WDJ