• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Philippine National Police (PNP) reported on Thursday, May 21 that 11 of the 19 individuals killed during the encounter in Toboso, Negros Occidental on April 19 tested positive for gunpowder residue.
The development supports the claim of the Armed Forces of the Philippines that the fatalities were involved in an armed encounter.
During a press briefing organized by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict on May 21, PCol. Reynaldo Calaoa, chief the PNP Regional Forensic Unit-Negros Island Region, said the positive paraffin test results serve as evidence that the slain individuals had fired weapons during the clashes.
Calaoa, however, declined to identify which of the 19 fatalities tested positive for gunpowder residue, saying the investigation has yet to be completed.
Left-leaning organizations such as Karapatan earlier condemned the incident, claiming the deaths were the result of a “rubout” or “massacre” of civilians rather than a legitimate firefight.
Calaoa said the bullet shells recovered from eight encounter sites further supported the military’s account that a running gunbattle had taken place.
He clarified though that negative gunpowder residue results do not automatically mean a person did not fire a weapon, explaining that several factors may lead to false negative results, including exposure of the bodies to water.
Calaoa said many of the cadavers had been immersed in water because one of the encounter sites was located in a fishpond.
He noted that wet hands could wash away traces of gunpowder residue, adding that the use of rifles could affect the amount of residue left on a shooter’s hands because of the distance between the muzzle and the firearm user.
Earlier, forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun said that autopsies conducted on five of the 19 fatalities showed no indication that the victims were shot at close range.
Among those killed were three minors, two student activists, two foreigners, and a community journalist.
The Communist Party of the Philippines admitted that 10 of those killed were members of the New People’s Army (NPA) while maintaining that the remaining nine were civilians.
Maj. Gen. Michael Samson, commander of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, maintained that all 19 fatalities were combatants and defended the legitimacy of the military operation.
Samson said government troops repeatedly called on the NPA rebels to surrender, but were instead met with gunfire.
During the clash, Army Cpl. Johnny Gallano was injured.
“It was a legitimate encounter. Those we fought were armed,” Samson said, adding that questions regarding the presence of foreigners among the fatalities should be answered by the communist rebels themselves.
He emphasized that the military had no intention of involving civilians, minors or foreigners in the conflict situation.
PCol. Dennis Wenceslao, director of Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, reported that authorities recovered 25 firearms and eight explosives from the encounter sites.
Wenceslao said that authorities documented 58 killings in Negros Occidental allegedly perpetrated by the NPA from 2023 to May 13 this year, incidents which the rebel group had admitted responsibility for. | GB
