NTF-ELCAC: Toboso probe must yield laws to prevent deaths

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Thursday said a planned congressional inquiry into the April 19 clash in Toboso, Negros Occidental should lead to concrete legislation to prevent similar incidents.

The statement followed the filing of House Resolution No. 968 seeking an investigation into the encounter between government forces and members of the New People’s Army.

NTF-ELCAC executive director Ernesto Torres Jr. welcomed the move but said its value lies in outcomes rather than rhetoric.

“Legislative inquiries, when conducted in good faith, are an important part of democratic governance,” Torres said.

He added that efforts to “establish facts, clarify circumstances, and determine whether policy or measures are needed are important exercises of oversight.”

Torres said the inquiry must be “anchored on evidence, objectivity, and the commitment to truth.”

He maintained that the Toboso incident was “an armed encounter between government forces and the New People’s Army’s North Negros Front,” triggered by civilian information and confirmed by intelligence reports, including the recovery of weapons.

“These are the conditions of an active conflict environment,” he said, noting that the Communist Party of the Philippines had admitted a “tactical defeat.”

“You cannot claim a ‘tactical defeat’ and, in the same breath, insist that those involved were merely unarmed civilians,” Torres added.

He cautioned against misframing the probe, saying calls for “balanced narratives” should not result in false equivalence.

“The pursuit of ‘balanced narratives’ should not lead to false equivalence between state forces operating under the Constitution and armed groups that function outside the rule of law,” he said.

Torres also underscored that accountability mechanisms exist within government operations, citing the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ rules of engagement, adherence to international humanitarian law, and chain of command.

He said the focus of the inquiry should be on prevention, particularly addressing how armed groups recruit individuals, including the youth.

“Addressing these conditions requires more than hearings. It requires sustained governance, development, and community engagement,” he said.

Torres warned against politicizing the issue, saying the loss of life should not be reduced to competing narratives.

“In the end, the measure of any inquiry is not how many narratives are presented, but whether it leads to better protection for communities, greater accountability, and a clearer path toward lasting peace,” he said.