Makabayan files HR 962: Urgent investigation into Toboso massacre, termination of MO 32

PRESS STATEMENT ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Sarah Jane Elago Kabataan Rep. Atty. Renee Louise Co 27 April 2026

The Makabayan Bloc has filed House Resolution No. 962 directing the House Committee on Human Rights to urgently conduct an investigation, in aid of legislation, into the massacre of unarmed civilians allegedly perpetrated by the 79th Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Toboso, Negros Occidental on April 19–20, 2026.

The resolution seeks to establish the facts behind the deaths of at least 19 individuals, the forced evacuation of 653 residents from 168 households, and the broader conduct of military operations that human rights groups and witnesses on the ground have described as disproportionate, indiscriminate, and in violation of human rights and international humanitarian law.

The AFP has maintained that all fatalities were armed combatants and members of the New People’s Army. However, subsequent reports from residents, civil society, and media have identified among the dead UP student leader, a journalist, and peasant advocates—casting serious doubt on the military’s narrative and raising urgent questions about the protection of civilians, the use of proportionate force, and compliance with the Geneva Conventions and Philippine law.

“Hindi puwedeng basta na lang tanggapin ang salaysay ng militar habang may mga testigo at ebidensyang nagpapakita ng ibang katotohanan. Kailangang imbestigahan nang malinaw at walang kinikilingan ang nangyari sa Toboso,” the MakabayanBloc said.

The resolution also calls on the House to support independent and impartial investigations by the Commission on Human Rights and credible human rights organizations, and to condemn disproportionate use of force and indiscriminate warfare in counter-insurgency operations.

Additionally, HR 962 demands the immediate and formal termination of Memorandum Order No. 32, the Duterte-era directive that deployed additional military and police troops to Negros and other regions under the guise of suppressing “lawless violence”—but which has instead been linked to worsening state-perpetrated violence and human rights abuses against rural communities.

“Dapat nang wakasan ang MO 32. Sa halip na solusyon, ito ay nagdulot ng dagdag-pasakit, militarisasyon, at paglabag sa karapatang pantao sa kanayunan,” the Bloc stressed.

The Makabayan Bloc stresses that accountability for the Toboso killings must not be buried under military press releases or political maneuvering. Congress has a duty to investigate. The community should also immediately be demilitarized so that the people will not live in fear and be able to speak out on what happened. ###