Bacolod Councilor Seeks Probe Into Toboso Killings as Calls Grow for Impartial Investigation

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Bacolod City Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr. is seeking an independent investigation into the April 19 military operation in Toboso, Negros Occidental, where 19 people were killed amid conflicting accounts from the military and human rights groups.

Gamboa is set to file a proposed resolution on Wednesday urging the Commission on Human Rights – Negros Island Region, with the help of the National Bureau of Investigation and forensic experts, to conduct an “immediate, transparent and impartial investigation” into the deaths in Barangay Salamanca.

The resolution said an independent forensic probe is needed to reconcile competing narratives. The military has described the incident as a legitimate operation against New People’s Army rebels, while human rights and civil society groups have condemned the operation that killed civilians, including community journalist R.J. Nichole Ledesma, UP student leader Alyssa Alano, peasant organizers Maureen Keil Santuyo and Errol Wendel, as well as U.S.-based activists Lyle Prijoles and Kai Sorem.

Gamboa’s resolution cited international humanitarian law, saying the willful killing of civilians constitutes a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions. It also referenced the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, which has an ₱8.08 billion budget for 2026.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros also backed a full, objective and impartial investigation, saying the CHR is in the best position to determine what happened in Toboso. “Only on the basis of truth can there be justice,” she said Tuesday in Talisay City.

Kabataan Partylist Negros has welcomed the resolution of Gamboa, saying it is a good step forward toward addressing public clamor for justice and protection of civilians in militarized communities. 

“Amid conflicting narratives and different versions of the truth, a just and rigorous investigation is the key to clear up everything and avoid the repetition of this tragedy,” the partylist said in a statement to Paghimutad. 

The call for investigation came as Toboso’s municipal council declared the CPP, NPA and NDF persona non grata through Resolution No. 77, series of 2026, after the deadly encounter.

More than a hundred civil society, activist, and human rights groups nationwide and abroad have condemned the April 19 military operation and called for perpetrators of the incident to be held accountable–including around 60 youth groups across Negros Island.