Justice for the Negros 19! Advance the Struggle Against War and Militarism!

On April 19/20, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) 303rd Infantry Brigrade carried out an assault against communities in Toboso, Negros Occidental. The 12 hours of bombing and strafing (the attack of ground targets with automatic weapons from low-flying aircraft) resulted in 148 families, comprising over 650 individuals, being displaced from their homes; as well as 19 casualties - larger than any massacre carried out by the AFP under president Marcos Jr.

The International Women's Alliance mourns the loss of the Negros 19. Of the 19, 9 have been identified as civilians:

• Roel Sabillo, 19, resident of Barangay Tabunac, Toboso;

• R.J. Nichole Ledesma, 30, community journalist from Bacolod City;

• Alyssa Alano, councilor, UP Diliman Student Council;

• Maureen Keil Santuyo, 24, member, National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates (NNARA-Youth);

• Errol Wendel, 24, member, Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura;

• Jemina Gumadlas, 15, resident of Sitio Plarending, Barangay Salamanca, Toboso;

• Lyle Prijoles, 40, of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, from San Francisco, California, USA;

• Kai Sorem, 26, from Seattle, Washington, USA;

• Dexter Patajo, 17, Sitio Buklog, Barangay Lalong, Calatrava, Negros Occidental.

And an additional 10 were identified as Red fighters serving in the New Peoples' Army of the Philippines (NPA)

• Roger Fabillar (Ka Tapang), who served as NPA commander of the Northern Negros Front;

• Sonny Boy Caramihan, 28, from Barangay Bagonbon, San Carlos City;

• Rene Villarin Sr., 57, Barangay Marcelo, Calatrava, squad leader;

• Pedro Bonghanoy, medical officer, Barangay Libertad, Escalante City;

• Arnel Javoc, 32, from Barangay Lalong, Calatrava;

• Joros Caramihan y Ramos, 18, from Don Salvador Benedicto;

• Maria Clarita Branzuel Blanco (Ka Sanim/Pat), political instructor;

• Genevieve Balora (Ka Raia), from Bacolod City, district Party cadre;

• Labskie Purisimia Enustacion, 33, of Sitio Tinibawan, Barangay Bug-ang, Toboso;

• Jocel Gimang, 18, of Sitio Bautista, Barangay Malasibog, Escalante City.

The death of each individual and the impact on Negros and the Philippines weighs heavy on our members - many of who knew the community organizers from the USA and the Philippines, or met some of them at different conferences and fora that IWA was involved in over the years. Our deepest grief and condolences go out to the family, friends, and comrades of the 19 who were indiscriminately and illegally slaughtered by the fascist Armed Forces of the Philippines. Their sacrifice reminds us why an international united front of women's organizations who stand firmly against war and militarism is necessary. Our best way to honor the fallen is to boldly advance the fights ahead and bravely end all wars of aggression against the people of the world.

The very same bullets, bombs and guns that were used to kill 19 Filipinos in Negros are the same bullets that have rained down on Southern Lebanon, Palestine, Iran, Venezuela, and Nigeria in the last six months. The Armed Forces of the Philippines have proven once again that they are rabid dogs that only answer the commands of corrupt and fascist government with Marcos Jr at the head. US pressure on the Marcos Jr Regime to eliminate the NPA reflects the priorities of the fascist Trump Administration: clear a path to wage war against China and use the Philippines as a defacto military base and weapons store-house, at the expense of the majority of Filipinos who are poor, landless, and suffering under the current economic crisis.

Instead of responding to the peoples' cry for higher wages and lower prices (Sahod Itaas, Presyo Ibaba) and an end to the predatory Value Added Tax (VAT) system - the Marcos Jr. Regime sits on the lap of the US and follows its every order. When the AFP released its first details on the Negros 19 they had the audacity to claim it was an encounter with rebel forces, and that it should be considered an all out success in terms of military strength and adherence to International Humanitarian Law.

There is no truth to the lies being spread by the Marcos Jr. Regime, or other news outlets that are repeating the same hollow claims that all those killed in the massacre were New Peoples' Army who had been 'terror groomed'. The true terrorists in this scenario are the AFP who willingly bomb and shoot at their own countrymen.

At the same time that the AFP was unloading magazines and bombing communities in Negros, the US military was carrying out the Balikatan War Games - an annual war exercise between the US and Philippines. During the Balikatan games - violence against women, sex trafficking, and environmental damage increases in the surrounding communities, putting women and children at risk. The US military doesn't just train the AFP on how to use weaponry - it also teaches them to dehumanize our countrymen and to see other Filipinos as disposable. This was made all the more evident by the treatment of the bodies of the Negros 19, as well as social media posts dehumanizing and relating those killed to canned meat.

The culture that allowed the AFP to violently kill 19 and displace over 650 in the course of 12 hours is the same culture that normalizes violence against women, children and LGBTQ+ people. It is military and state violence that underscores every instance of domestic violence - leading individuals to think "if the military can enact violence, why can't I?" It is this very reason that IWA asserts that the US Government, its military, and all its apparatuses are the number one perpetrator of violence against women. Any entity that treats people as disposable, takes away their humanity, or celebrates their death creates conditions that allow violence against women to thrive.

As we continue to mourn those lost in Negros - the International Women's Alliance also calls on our members to turn grief into rage. IWA amplifies the calls of the people and human rights groups to call for an independent investigation into the Massacre of Negros 19. This is a clear violation of International Humanitarian Law, and justice for the Negros 19 must be served!

Surely as the enemy of the United States and its puppet governments are unmasked, as in the case of Marcos Jr and the AFP, our collective rage can advance the struggle against war, militarism, and exploitation and lead us toward alternative systems that not only eliminate violence against women - but eliminate military violence against civilians completely. Let us honor the Negros 19 by escalating our fights, linking our causes, and advancing the global militant women's movement!

Justice for the Negros 19!

Justice for all victims of military violence!

End all war games!

Advance the cause of national liberation in order to win women's emancipation!