In a statement released today, Kabataan para sa Karapatan (KPK) – Negros Oriental condemned the massacre in Negros Oriental, which included a woman who was 5 months pregnant.

Last July 26, 2022 at 5:30am, the 62nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police massacred 18 year old environmental advocate Everly Kee Jacolbe along with her mother, former daycare worker Maria Christina Jacolbe, and relative Rodan Montero in their home in Sitio Banderahan, Barangay Trinidad, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental.

Maria Christina was 5 months pregnant at the time and was shot in the head. 

The victims, who were previously red-tagged, underwent torture before being killed, the statement added.

Witnesses in the area heard Everly Kee shouting, “Hindi ako kasali! Sibilyan ako!” (I’m not a member! I am a civilian!) She was subsequently stabbed in the back and was found to have a gunshot in her hand.

During the wake of the victims, state forces prohibited members of the family from entering the home and was found harassing visitors who wanted to pay their respects.

KPK condemned the massacre, stating, “We in Kabataan Para Sa Karapatan – Negros Oriental condemn this act of inhumane and unlawful attack on civilians, and particularly, we denounce the continued crimes by state forces of Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) in Negros Island.”

They also raised their calls for accountability and justice and for human rights defenders and women and children’s rights advocates to condemn the violent attacks plaguing Negros Island.

The group also called for the abolishment of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) for its human rights violations.

The statement concluded, “The respect for human rights is essential in the development of the country; particularly, the youth, who are the future, must be given the space for holistic development, which will not be addressed through counterinsurgency measures anchored on militarism and political repression.”