By CESAR JOLITO III
Investigators recovered spent cartridge cases from several areas identified as encounter sites following a military operation in Negros Occidental’s Toboso town in April, supporting the claims that gun battles took place in multiple locations.
“It’s not just one site. There are also other sites where cartridge cases are collected. They are encounter sites everywhere. We consistently find cartridge cases,” Police Colonel Reynaldo Calaoa, chief of the Police Regional Forensic Unit in the Negros Island Region, said during a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
The forensic findings come amid allegations from various groups questioning whether some of the fatalities were executed instead of being killed during an armed confrontation.
Authorities also said forensic examinations found gunpowder residue on 11 of the 19 individuals killed in the recent encounter, strengthening claims by security forces that a firefight occurred during the operation.
According to laboratory tests conducted on the fatalities yielded positive results for gunpowder residue in 11 cases.
“Although there is a follow-up test, it’s still an indication,” Calaoa said.
However, Calaoa clarified that negative gunpowder residue results do not necessarily prove that a person did not fire a weapon.
He explained that several factors, including water exposure and firing distance, could affect the outcome of forensic tests.
“It also has to be understood na hindi po ibig sabihin na kapag nag-negative ay hindi na nagpaputok. Meron ding tinatawag na false negative,” he said, noting that many of the bodies were recovered wet or immersed in water, which may have affected residue collection.
Meanwhile, Michael Samson, commander of the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, maintained that government troops encountered armed individuals and defended the legitimacy of the military operation.
“Ang nakasagupa namin were armed. It was a legitimate encounter,” Samson said, while stressing that the military had no intention of involving civilians, minors or foreign nationals in the conflict.
He acknowledged concerns raised over reports that some of those killed included students, minors and foreigners, but said soldiers could not immediately distinguish identities during an active firefight.
For his part, Ernesto Torres Jr., executive director of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, said communist insurgent forces in the country have significantly weakened in recent years.
Torres claimed the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army-National Democratic Front now has around 800 armed members nationwide, prompting remaining insurgents to consolidate operations in key areas such as Negros, Samar, Leyte, parts of Bicol, and Mindoro.
He also highlighted ongoing peace and security initiatives in previously insurgency-affected communities, saying thousands of barangays once influenced by insurgents had already been cleared through coordinated government efforts./CJ, WDJ