• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The death of two American nationals and two minors, who were among the 19 individuals killed in Toboso gunbattles in Negros Occidental, indicates a shift in the recruitment practices of the New People’s Army, according to an official of the National Task Force To End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC)
In the armed encounters in Toboso on April 19, two American nationals were killed- Lyle Prijoles and Kai Dana-Rene Sorem – affiliated with Bayan-USA and Anakbayan-USA, and both were reported by NTF-ELCAC to have links to the local communist movement.
Their deaths underscore how individuals from outside the country are now being drawn into local armed hostilities, disclosed NTF-ELCAC executive director Ernesto Torres Jr. in a statement.
Also among those killed in the same encounters – as identified in the PNP investigation and validated by their claimant-relatives – were two minors, Jolinda Jimena,16, and Dexter Patoja, 17, Torres said.
He added that their presence in a combat environment highlights the grave risks faced by young individuals who become involved in armed conflict.
In a separate incident in Samar on April 17, 2026, another minor identified as alias ‘John Paul’ was killed during an armed encounter, as reported by the 8th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army.
That brings to three the number of minors killed in combat within the period.
Torres said the involvement of foreign nationals alongside minors points to a widening recruitment scope that extends beyond traditional local bases and into more vulnerable sectors.
Aside from Allysa Alano, a student activist at the University of the Philippines – Diliman, and community journalist RJ Ledesma, a Bacoleño, also killed in the encounter, as confirmed by the UP Open University (UPOU) was its student – Maureen Keil Santuyo, an Associate of Arts student.
Torres said the presence of foreign nationals in these encounters further indicates that recruitment efforts have expanded beyond Philippine borders, exposing individuals from the diaspora to the dangers of armed confrontation on the ground.
These developments suggest increasing pressure on the movement to sustain its ranks, reflected in a shift toward drawing from sectors that are either geographically distant or inherently vulnerable, he added.
A movement that draws in children and foreign nationals into armed conflict is not demonstrating strength—it is revealing a critical strain that comes at the cost of human lives, Torres stressed.
In a statement, human rights group Karapatan claimed that Julie Ann Balora, a member of the national council of the National Federation of Sugar Workers – Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura, one of the five persons recently arrested in Talisay City, denied the claims that they owned the two bags recovered by authorities, which allegedly containing guns and explosives.
The Makabayan Bloc in the House of Representatives yesterday filed a resolution asking the Committee on Human Rights to conduct an inquiry on the Toboso incident.*
