RIVERMAN’S VISTA | When Presence Becomes a Crime: Toboso and Mindanao
MindaNews / 02 May – Nineteen people died in Toboso, Negros Occidental on April 19, 2026. Ten were acknowledged fighters of the New People’s Arm…
RIVERMAN’S VISTA | When Presence Becomes a Crime: Toboso and Mindanao
MindaNews / 02 May – Nineteen people died in Toboso, Negros Occidental on April 19, 2026. Ten were acknowledged fighters of the New People’s Army. Nine were not. Among the nine were a 22-year-old student from the University of the Philippines, a journalist and poet, a community researcher, two American activists, a 19-year-old farmer, and two minors. Their deaths are not disputed. Their identities are not disputed. What is disputed is how they died. The military says they were combatants. Their families, colleagues, and organizations say they were civilians. The Commission on Human Rights has opened an investigation. The ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights has condemned the operation. Lawyers from the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers say the principles of distinction and proportionality under international humanitarian law were visibly, blatantly violated. The Movement Against Disinformation, in its Statement No. 68 issued April 26, 2026, named what follow...
