The Philippine Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Sunday has announced that it will investigate the military operation in Negros Occidental province that left 19 people dead, including a student activist and two foreign nationals.
The human rights body cited “inconsistencies” in the identities of those who were killed, with the Armed Forces of the Philippines maintaining that all 19 individuals were members of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
However, the NPA said that others who were caught in the firefight were civilians, acknowledging only ten fatalities as their own.
The non-combatants included student activist Alyssa Alano and two United States nationals – Lyle Prijoles and Kai Sorem.
Rights groups call for independent probe
The civilian deaths were met with condemnation from rights groups and student organisations.
They called for an independent investigation into the encounter that happened on April 19 on the island.
“The military operations carried out by the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion… warrant an urgent investigation,” House of Representatives member Leila de Lima said, according to Agence France-Presse.
Meanwhile, local rights group Karapatan stated that the “sheer number of those killed triggers significant questions and conclusions on the conduct of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) operations”.
The University of the Philippines, where political science student Alyssa Alano studies, denounced the killings as well.
It said that the narratives regarding the “hours-long” clash in Negros “must be challenged by fact-finding, especially since these narratives have historically been used to justify the killings of civilians in the province: activists, community organisers, human rights workers and organised farmers”.
It explained that Alysa and the others were in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso in Negros, to better understand the conditions of the farmers there.
“Alyssa was widely admired by her peers and teachers as a decisive student leader with a sharp, critical mind that discerned the structure of injustice perpetuating the deep poverty and oppression of the landless farmers and agricultural workers of Negros,” UP Diliman Committee on the Protection of Academic Freedom and Human Rights said in a released statement.
Various groups in the university have also connected her death to alleged “militarisation” and human rights abuses in rural areas.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Zelensky leads candle tribute marking Chernobyl Disaster 40th anniversary
US activists killed, govt alleges NPA links
Along with Alysa, the other casualties included Filipino-American Lyle Prijoles and Kai Sorem, who were believed to be involved in activist work.
According to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) – a government body created to respond to communist insurgency in the country – the two arrived in the province approximately a month prior to their deaths.
“The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) notes with serious concern the confirmation that a second American national was among those killed in the April 19, 2026, armed encounter,” they stated.
Like Alysa, the task force also identified the other two as members of the NPA.
The US embassy has not yet issued a request for comment, Agence France-Presse reported.
Bayan-USA, on the other hand, said that Prijoles “was immersing with communities in Negros at the time to learn first-hand their daily hardships as farmers and their struggle for land and justice”.
As for Sorem, Anakbayan-USA explained that she was in the Philippines “to deepen her knowledge of her country and culture through learning the language and serving peasant farming communities”.
She had earlier spent time in rural Cebu, visiting farming and coastal fishing communities.
READ MORE: Malaysia rejects unilateral moves on Strait of Malacca, upholds four-nation pact
CHR emphasises civilian protection under IHL
Amid the conflicting narratives, CHR reaffirmed that parties must distinguish between combatants and civilians or civilian objects under International Humanitarian Law (IHL), even in non-international armed conflicts.
“Indiscriminate attacks are prohibited, and civilians are protected unless they directly participate in hostilities,” it said, according to ABS-CBN.
It added that determining a person’s status, the circumstances of the engagement and whether the force used was proportionate, “must be based on verifiable facts and due process. In case of doubt, persons shall be presumed civilians”.
Responding to the commission’s probe, the military assured that they were “open to investigation and the evidence will speak for us”.
They denied allegations that civilians were killed during the operation, and said that the soldiers behaved professionally in compliance with IHL.
The military also claimed that those killed were armed.
The UP Diliman University Student Council, as well as student organisations from campuses affiliated with the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), demanded justice for Alano.
They called for accountability and denounced what they described as “indiscriminate killing” and “strafing” by state forces.
READ NEXT: Malacca Strait, Singapore record busiest activities in over two decades
Shameeka Voyiya 
Carmela Calling 
Wendellyn Mateo