Spotlight trained on ‘killings’ under Marcos

A Lumad leader has called for the return of International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction over the Philippines to investigate what she described as a pattern of killings allegedly committed by state forces under the Marcos Jr. administration.

Eufemia Cullamat, a former partylist lawmaker, claimed that the incident in Toboso, Negros Occidental was not isolated, saying similar acts of violence had also occurred in other regions.

“When killings happen in different places and in the same manner, this is no longer a simple mistake. This is the result of security and counterinsurgency policies that systematically target and control communities,” she said in Filipino.

The armed conflict in Negros Occidental reportedly occurred on 19 April and resulted in the deaths of 19 individuals, including two University of the Philippines students and two Filipino-Americans.

Cullamat also cited an incident in Zamboanga City in which a 12-year-old Moro child and a 16-year-old Lumad student were killed during a joint military operation by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police.

She said the killings were not isolated incidents but part of a continuing pattern of violence allegedly linked to practices from the previous administration.

“When these kinds of cases keep happening and civilians are the victims, it is clear there is a pattern of violence that must be held accountable,” she said.

Cullamat said it’s crucial for the Philippines to once again fall under ICC jurisdiction, arguing that local mechanisms remain limited in holding individuals accountable for unlawful killings.

On Sunday, 26 April, the Commission on Human Rights announced that it would conduct an independent investigation into the 19 April incident to determine whether those killed were rebels or civilians.

Malacañang Palace, however, maintained that all those killed in the encounter were armed, citing reports from the AFP.