When 19 People Died in Toboso, One Campaign Connected Manila to New York

What happened?

On April 19, the 79th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army engaged members of the New People's Army (NPA), the military branch of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), at a temporary encampment in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso, Negros Occidental. The military reported 19 combatants killed. 

It was then revealed among the fallen were unarmed civilians: two University of the Philippines students Alyssa Alano and Maureen Keil Santuyo, poet and activist RJ Nichole Ledesma, community agrarian researcher Errol Wendel, and two US-based activists Lyle Prijoles and Kai Dana Rene Sorem, and three young residents of Toboso: Roel Sabillo, Jemina Gumadlas, Dexter Patajo.

University of the Philippines Diliman along with human rights coalitions in the Philippines and United States released statements of condemnation. All supported the call for independent investigation to the incident. Comedian-actress Tuesday Vargas joined a protest rally at UP Diliman on April 23 in Manila. On April 29, Filipino-Americans held a vigil outside the Philippine Consulate in New York.

What this campaign tells us

There has been a long-standing hostility between the Philippine government and the CPP, clashes resulting in death have happened before, and the recent Toboso incident might be with the highest casualties.

During the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte in 2017, the CPP was declared a terrorist organization. Although this declaration has no legal standing, activism supporting farmers and peasant movements bear the burden of being seen treasonous by the government, making way for intense Philippine Army activities in rural areas.

One link that leads to Defend Negros campaign on Twibbonize captures the Filipinos’ concern and demand succinctly: a red ribbon circling user’s photo saying “End Militarization in Negros” complete with the name of six victims: Errol, Maureen, Alyssa, RJ, Lyle and Kai, and a clear call “Justice for the Negros 19”. The campaign took off, trending along with the hashtags #DefendNegros and #JusticefortheNegros19 mainly on X (formerly Twitter).

What the campaign captured is not fully measured by its supporter count. The campaign became the visual layer of a solidarity movement that was already in motion across countries, the Filipinos at home and the diaspora community. This becomes particularly important since people who work against the cause are able to generate misinformation and slander. A popular photo circulated in various social media after the incident, showing the 19 victims holding a flag of groups assumed to be communist-linked. Rappler has since affirmed that the photo has been generated using AI to look like the people are holding said flag.

What to learn from this campaign

It pays to be thorough when choosing the words to represent your campaign. Without a clear message, your campaign will just be another picture on the internet. The sensitivity of the issue you want to communicate must also be taken into consideration. Easier said than done, but the Defend Negros visual campaign created by user shaolin oil on Twibbonize which now has garnered more than 1,100 supporters shows us that it is possible. Moreover, it shows a needed true human concern among a sea of unverified and doctored posts on the internet. It narrows the focus to whether the killings were justified and enshrines the victims onto the dignified cause that the people still fight for.