Four months after Negros 19 massacre, fact-finding mission raises grave IHL violations, echo calls for justice
KARAPATAN Public Information
PRESS RELEASE
19 August 2026
Reference: Cristina Palabay, KARAPATAN secretary general, 09173162831
KARAPATAN Public Information Desk, 09189790580
Four months after Negros 19 massacre, fact-finding mission raises grave IHL violations, echo calls for justice
QUEZON CITY, Philippines — Four months after the April 19 killing of 19 people in Toboso, Negros Occidental, the families of the victims and human rights advocates continue to demand justice as the organizers of the National Fact-Finding and Solidarity Mission (NFFSM) releases its findings on the massacre.
Held in May, or almost a month after the killings, and joined by more than a hundred participants from national, local, and international organizations, the NFFSM delegates interviewed residents and witnesses, inspected the sites of the killings, and documented physical evidence and the impact of military operations on civilian communities.
“The mission’s findings challenge the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and other State agencies like the notorious NTF-ELCAC, of their portrayal of the incident as a legitimate series of armed encounters,” said Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general.
The report raised several violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Human Rights Law, including the killing of persons who may have been rendered hors de combat, as well as the treatment of civilians during the military operation. The mission documented the searching of at least 24 houses, the detention and interrogation of civilians at gunpoint, and the displacement of approximately 800 residents whose access to food and livelihood sources was disrupted.
Recommendations include the filing of criminal and administrative charges against all military personnel involved in the massacre, as well as their superiors; provision of full access to families of victims and their legal representatives of all documentation by the 79th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army and the AFP such as the mission order, drone video footages, after-operations reports, among others; the immediate pull-out of the 79th IBPA in communities in Negros, as the presence of soldiers impede the conduct of investigations; and the immediate and proper identification of the remains of Errol Wendel and release of his remains to his family.
The findings are being presented amid International Humanitarian Law Month, underscoring the urgent need to uphold rights in situations of armed conflict.
“We emphasize that even in the context of armed conflict, persons have rights that need to be recognized and respected, combatant or civilian. For four months now, the AFP continues to whitewash the investigations and narratives to justify its war crimes,” Palabay said.
Four months after the massacre, residents continue to report heavy military presence, harassment, intimidation, and restrictions on their movement and livelihood. “The aftermath of the Negros 19 killings continue to be felt by communities that remain under military pressure. The people of Negros deserve to live without fear and intimidation in their own communities,” said Karapatan.
KARAPATAN also reiterated its support for the appeal on the case of peasant organizer Errol Wendel, whose remains have yet to be recovered and returned to his family.
“Every day, we pray that we can bring Errol home. Four months have passed, and we still don’t have our son. We just want to bring him home and give him the proper burial he deserves,” said Elizabeth Chen, Errol’s mother.
For KARAPATAN, the four-month commemoration is a reminder that the victims must not be reduced to statistics.
“We continue to remember the Negros 19 as people whose lives mattered to their families and communities. We will continue to challenge the lies surrounding their deaths and stand with their families in their search for justice,” Palabay said.
In Bacolod City, human rights advocates, activists, church people, and community members from across Negros Island gather today at the BCGC Replica, Bacolod Public Plaza, to commemorate the fourth month of the Negros 19 massacre, reiterated calls for justice, and an end to the continuing military operations in peasant communities in Negros.
*Copy of the report is available upon request. Please send a message to KARAPATAN Public Information Desk, 09189790580
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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. It was established in 1995.