The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) Canada chapter unequivocally condemns the military operations carried out by the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion in Salamanca, Toboso, Negros Occidental, on April 19. Credible reports on-the-ground indicate a large-scale operation with devastating consequences for civilians, raising urgent and serious alarm within the international human rights community.

Available information indicates that at least 19 people were killed and more than 653 residents from 168 households were forcibly displaced across the villages of Salamanca and San Jose. While the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has characterized the incident as an armed encounter with the New People’s Army (NPA), the operation’s scale, pattern, and impact raise grave concerns about potential violations of international humanitarian law (IHL), including failures to uphold the principles of distinction, proportionality, and the protection of civilians. These allegations warrant an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation, and accountability for any violations that are established.

Local residents and families of the victims have challenged the military’s account. Among those reported killed are civilians, including a farmer identified by relatives as engaged in livelihood work in the area, as well as RJ Nichole Ledesma, a journalist and cultural worker, and Alyssa Alano, a student leader and peasant organizer. Both were reportedly conducting community immersion and research at the time. Verification efforts by families and human rights groups are ongoing.

RJ Ledesma, a journalist with Altermidya, accompanied ICHRP-Canada’s delegation for the 2025 International Observers Mission to Negros Island. We join his colleagues and the communities he served in Negros in mourning his loss and condemning the brutal massacre by the Philippine state.

ICHRP-Canada supports urgent calls for an immediate, independent, and impartial investigation into the killings and the forced displacement of civilians. This incident reflects a broader pattern of abuses linked to counter-insurgency operations in rural communities.

It further raises urgent and serious concerns about Canada’s deepening military and security cooperation with the Philippines under the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA). Such engagement risks entrenching support for counter-insurgency operations that place civilian populations at heightened risk and erode fundamental protections on the ground. 

In this context, Canadian assistance, through training, defence cooperation, or logistical support, cannot be viewed as neutral. It risks reinforcing institutions that have been repeatedly linked in credible reports to human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings and forced displacement, and calls into question Canada’s stated commitment to the protection of human rights internationally.

ICHRP-Canada urges the Government of Canada to conduct a review of the SOVFA and all related military and security cooperation to immediate parliamentary and public scrutiny, including existing and planned agreements, to assess the risks of complicity in human rights violations and corruption. Canada must also suspend any further expansion of such cooperation pending an independent review of its funding, training, and equipment transfers, ensuring that no Canadian support directly or indirectly enables abusive institutions or practices.

ICHRP-Canada remains committed to amplifying the calls for justice and accountability for the victims in Negros Occidental and to advancing a Canada–Philippines relationship rooted in peace and democratic integrity. ###