Justice for all the victims of the Toboso massacre! Fight against the fascist Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. imperialist military that trains, arms and funds them!

The Resist U.S.-led War Movement issues the strongest possible condemnation of the fascist and U.S. war agenda being imposed upon the Filipino people. The U.S. Marcos regime is dragging the nation closer to war through escalated war games and heightening counterinsurgency warfare. 

We urgently condemn the military operations conducted by the 79th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army in Brgy. Salamanca, Toboso, Negros Occidental, on April 19. These operations killed 19 individuals including NPA fighters and civilians including journalists, peasant organizers and cultural workers and forcibly displaced more than 653 residents from 168 households. 

Already the Filipino people in the Philippines and around the world are decrying this war crime and are raising up the names of caring and courageous individuals who were there, side by side, with the rural peasants of Negros struggling in defense of their land including Alysa Alano, Roger “Ka Jhong” Fabillar, RJ Nichole Ledesma, Lyle Prijolesand Roel Sabillo. All anti-war activists can and should raise the call for justice for the victims of the Toboso massacre and all victims of the counterinsurgency terror and Balikatan war exercises in the Philippines! 

This massacre occurred amid the Balikatan exercises, and was fueled by millions of dollars of direct U.S. military aid and weapons with repression tactics by the U.S. trained repression and counterinsurgency forces: The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the National Task Force to End local Communist Armed Conflict.

As mentioned by Bayan international Liaison Officer, Sarah Raymundo, on our latest Counter-Attack episode,

”Initially justified under the global war on terror, these exercises concentrated on counterinsurgency operations, particularly in Mindanao. Over time, Balikatan and Salaknib evolved into mechanisms for interoperability, logistics integration, and strategic positioning. This has embedded U.S. doctrine, command structures, and operational dependence into the Armed Forces of the Philippines. What is misleading about these exercises is that they are often presented in civil and humanitarian terms, such as disaster response and community support. However, according to reports from rural communities, these activities overlap with combat and counterinsurgency capabilities."

The U.S.-backed AFP is ramping up brutal counterinsurgency operations against peasants and those fighting back against land grabbing and state terror. The brutality of the recent massacre in Negros is a direct consequence of the same aggressive U.S. war policy that underpins the massive war games occuring now across the country.

According to KARAPATAN secretary general Cristina Palabay, “We are deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of the residents, especially reports of intimidation and harassment by the military in communities that have long been affected by the state operation are not new.” What happened in Negros was not an isolated incident but a clear reflection of systemic militarization and state violence. “As this expands in rural areas, the existence of both the logic of control and suppression in urban communities is also noteworthy.”

The yearly Balikatan exercises, along with more than 500 other U.S.-directed war games, have done nothing to “protect” the Philippines territorial sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea, instead the U.S. has ramped up military agreements, troop stationing and active support for the AFP counterinsurgency, amounting to a U.S. military occupation of the country through partnering with its corrupt puppet leader Bong Bong Marcos Jr.

These war games and U.S. presence transform the Philippines into a prime target should the U.S. and China go to war. This danger becomes even bigger as the U.S. pushes to build an ammunition factory, a plane and ship refueling hub, and an “Economic Security Zone” for microchip production facilities including the recently signed Pax Silica initiative, which sells out land and resources to foreign war production efforts.

The national democratic struggle in the Philippines remains the main deterrent to complete U.S. domination and the main obstacle to the plans of the U.S. to use the Filipino people as cannon fodder in an imperialist war of aggression. The Filipino people will continue to resist and fight for national liberation in the face of escalating U.S. war.

The Resist U.S.-led war movement calls for an immediate end to the Balikatan exercises, which serve as a pretext for U.S. military intervention, violate Philippine sovereignty, and exacerbate human rights violations. All countries that claim to value human rights and peace must immediately withdraw participation. 

We also echo the demand for an immediate and independent investigation into the AFP’s April 19th to 20th attack, in what can only be called a massacre. We also demand that families, as well as their lawyers and human rights advocates, be given full access to their loved ones’ remains without any threat, interrogation, harm, or intimidation.

No to U.S. war drills!
Cancel Balikatan! 
End the counterinsurgency terror! 
Justice for the Negros 19!