BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Javi Benitez has withdrawn plans to pursue a congressional inquiry into the April 19 military operation in Toboso that left 19 people dead, prompting renewed criticism from youth and human rights groups demanding an independent investigation.
In a statement released Sunday, Benitez said he would no longer push forward the resolution he earlier filed “for inquiry in aid of legislation,” citing ongoing investigations by the Commission on Human Rights and other government agencies.
“The right course is to let these processes run their full course without political interference,” Benitez said. “Justice is best served by institutions doing their work, not by Congress getting ahead of them.”
Benitez also praised the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the 79th Infantry Battalion, and local officials for what he calls their “anti-insurgency operations” in Negros, describing the communist armed struggle as a “daily reality” affecting communities in the province.
The April 19 operation in Toboso, Negros Occidental, which rights groups now refer to as the “Toboso 19,” involved a military raid that authorities described as an armed encounter with suspected communist rebels. Human rights organizations, however, said several of those killed were civilians, including a journalist, student researchers, and land rights advocates.
Initial autopsy findings by forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun raised concerns over possible human rights violations, including the absence of gunpowder burns on some victims and indications that several were shot at close range.
Benitez’s move comes as political leaders in Negros continue to rally behind the military operation. Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson earlier expressed support for the Armed Forces and opposed calls for a separate investigation, while the Negros Association of Chief Executives issued a statement backing the April 19th operation.
Photo Source: Adrian Bobe/GMA News
Kabataan Party-list Vice President for Visayas Florence Guzon criticized Benitez’s withdrawal of support for a congressional inquiry.
“We continue to call for an independent, impartial, and comprehensive investigation on the deaths of civilians in Toboso,” Guzon said. “Under the International Humanitarian Law, civilians, in this case a journalist, student researchers, and land rights advocates, are not objects of military operations.”
He added that Fortun’s autopsy findings “suggest potential human rights violations, and further urges for an in depth investigation on the matter.”
Meanwhile, Human Rights Advocates Negros Island said Benitez’s statement failed to address the root causes of armed conflict in Negros.
“Landlessness and social injustice breeds the civil war in the country,” the group said. “To equate peace with surrender of firearms doesn’t solve the main reasons why armed struggle persists.”
The group also urged Benitez “to open his door to meaningful talks with us and social movements especially farmers and farmworkers,” and called on him to support the resumption of formal peace negotiations between the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
Paghimutad 