• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Senator Robinhood Padilla is seeking an investigation into the numerous killings of civilians in Negros Island being claimed by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) as well as the recruitment of students into the armed movement.
Senate Resolution No. 468 calls for an inquiry into reports of so-called “spy-tagging” and summary executions allegedly carried out by the CPP-NPA against civilians in Negros Island.
According to the resolution, the reported victims include farmers, barangay officials, agrarian reform beneficiaries, senior citizens, and ordinary residents accused of being military informants without due process.
The Senate resolution seeks to determine whether there is a systematic pattern of violence in the island and examine the role of the government, including the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), in addressing the long-running armed conflict.
The NTF-ELCAC has tagged Negros Island as the epicenter of alleged “spy-tagging” killings of civilians attributed to the CPP-NPA and its political wing, the National Democratic Front.
In a statement, NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said that from 2021 to May 2026, at least 59 documented cases of spy-tagging killings and summary executions have been recorded nationwide, with 51 of these victims reported in Negros Island – 41 in Negros Occidental and 10 in Negros Oriental.
Padilla also filed Senate Resolution No. 470, which seeks to investigate reports of alleged recruitment activities targeting children and young people within schools. The proposed inquiry aims to examine how authorities can protect students from recruitment into armed groups while safeguarding academic freedom and students’ constitutional rights.
Meanwhile, the NTF-ELCAC expressed support for Senate Bill No. 1366, House Bill No. 7460, House Bill No. 5484, and House Bill No. 7204, collectively referred to as the proposed Terror Grooming and Radicalization Prevention Act.
Torres said the proposed measures seek to prevent terrorism by addressing the early stages of recruitment, grooming, indoctrination, and radicalization before individuals become involved in terrorist activities.
He noted that the proposed legislation is intended to close perceived gaps in the country’s counterterrorism framework by disrupting recruitment pathways while respecting due process, human rights, child protection, and freedom of expression.
He emphasized that the measures are not meant to criminalize children, students, or activism but to protect vulnerable sectors from extremist recruitment through ideological conditioning, immersion activities, online influence operations, and other methods identified in intelligence and security assessments.
“Our children should never become casualties of neglect, manipulation, or violent influence. They deserve a country that notices the warning signs early, acts before tragedy strikes, and chooses prevention before regret,” he added. | GPB
