• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Buklod Kapayapaan Federation Inc. (BKFI), a nationwide federation of former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) who now stand for peace and development, expressed its support to the conduct of an independent fact-finding mission and a legislative inquiry into the killing spree of civilians in Negros Island, perpetrated and claimed by remnants of the NPA.
From January 2025 to the present, the BKFI said at least 27 civilians have been recorded as killed, in a series of attacks that have instilled fear and insecurity among communities, particularly in Negros Occidental, based on records of the Philippine Army
The most recent victim, Leonora Anguit, a 74-year-old senior citizen, was brutally killed inside her own home after being accused of being a military informant in Barangay Tapi, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental. The killing of an elderly woman—defenseless, unarmed, and within the supposed safety of her home—is a cold-blooded and heartless crime, the statement from BKFI said.
BKFI asserts that the rampant killings in Negros must be brought to the national spotlight, stressing that the silence surrounding these incidents only enables further violence and normalizes impunity. Civilians should never be treated as targets in any armed struggle, it added.
In this regard, Buklod Kapayapaan calls on government officials, legislators, the media, and advocacy groups to urgently direct their attention to the ongoing killing spree attributed to the NPA in Negros. They urge the media to report these incidents with the seriousness they deserve, and we call on lawmakers to exercise oversight and accountability mechanisms.
These incidents constitute grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian norms, BKFI said, noting also that the pattern of attacks reveals a disturbing disregard for human rights.*
