Rights group condemns aerial strafings, bombings in Occidental Mindoro
KARAPATAN Public Information
PRESS RELEASE
3 January 2026
Reference: Cristina Palabay, KARAPATAN secretary general, 09173162831
KARAPATAN Public Information Desk, 09189790580
Rights group condemns aerial strafings, bombings in Occidental Mindoro
Human rights alliance KARAPATAN condemned the aerial strafings and bombings carried out by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro on New Year’s Day, and called for the cessation of State operations that endanger civilian lives and devastate communities, including communities and farms of indigenous people.
According to local rights group Defend Mindoro, at around 6:00 a.m. on January 1, 2026, the AFP launched large-scale strike operations that allegedly resulted in armed encounters between state security forces and members of the New People’s Army (NPA). In the hours that followed, residents posted accounts and footage on social media showing the sustained presence of military helicopters and the dropping of bombs, with aerial strafing reportedly continuing until around noon in mountainous areas where civilian communities are located.
“Aerial strafings and bombings are blatant violations of International Humanitarian Law. Indiscriminate air attacks in areas where civilian communities reside trample on the principles of distinction and proportionality under IHL, and amount to excessive use of force,” said KARAPATAN Secretary General Cristina Palabay.
KARAPATAN underscored that International Humanitarian Law (IHL) strictly requires parties to an armed conflict “to distinguish between combatants and civilians, to avoid indiscriminate attacks, and to ensure proportionality.”
“This is the first rule under IHL. The reported deployment of multiple battalions, alongside aerial attacks, constitutes overkill and excessive use of force, resulting in disproportionate harm to civilians and their livelihood, which is mostly farming,” Palabay added.
According to AFP statements, elements of the 76th Infantry Battalion, 68th Infantry Battalion, and the 5th Scout Ranger Battalion were involved in the operations in Sitio Mamara, Barangay Cabacao, Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro.
In a statement, the National Democratic Front – Mindoro said that youth researcher Jerlyn Rose Doydora died due to her illness, compounded by the bombings conducted by the strafing and bombing operations by the 1st and 76th Infantry Battalion (IBPA), the 5th Scout Ranger Battalion of the 203rd Brigade, under the 2nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army.
“We call on the Commission on Human Rights, concerned government agencies, and local government units to immediately investigate these incidents and ensure that civilian authority is upheld in Abra de Ilog. There can be no justification for raining bombs and bullets on people’s homes and livelihood,” Palabay said.
The group also said that the aerial strafings are preceded by incidents of rights violations that illustrate the militarized situation in communities in Abra de Ilog, which include: the harassment and surveillance of leaders and delegates of the International Solidarity Mission in Sitio Malatabako, Barangay San Vicente from October 11-14, 2025; the arrest and torture of Dolores Solangon, a Mangyan-Iraya woman, by the 76th Infantry Battalion in December 2025 following an alleged encounter in Barangay Lumangbayan; and the raid and arrest of Ramon “Monet” Alcantara, former Abra de Ilog mayoral candidate and environmental defender, on December 23, 2025.
“This pattern of militarization, worsened by bombings, illegal arrests, torture, and harassment, has no place in communities and only breeds fear and displacement,” Palabay said.
KARAPATAN urged authorities to immediately cease aerial attacks, withdraw military forces from civilian communities, and allow independent fact-finding and humanitarian access to affected areas.
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KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties. It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign.