• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Leaders of Sentrong Alyansa ng mga Mamamayan para sa Bayan (Sambayanan)- Negros have formally filed a request with the Commission on Human Rights-Negros Island Region (CHR-NIR) for an immediate and thorough investigation into alleged crimes against humanity, summary executions, and grave violations of human rights and International Humanitarian Law perpetrated and claimed by the New People’s Army (NPA).
Sambayanan-Negros president Jonel Moreno and regional coordinator Winefredo Doblizo Jr. submitted the complaint documents to CHR-NIR on March 26, which enumerated the series of violent incidents, targeting civilians across Negros Occidental from 2025 to early 2026.
Among the specific cases cited is the summary execution of 74-year-old Nora Anguit on Feb. 3, 2026, in Barangay Tapi, Kabankalan City.
According to the complaint, the armed group publicly admitted responsibility for the killing and labeled the elderly victim as an “intelligence asset”, a practice the organization refers to as “spy-tagging.”
The complaint also highlights the fatal shooting of Ariel Calumboy, a local community leader who served both as Sambayanan-Negros Cauayan cluster president and barangay councilor, which also took place in Nov. 3 last year in Barangay Tambad, Cauayan, Negros Occidental.
Sambayanan-Negros recorded 26 civilians killed by rebel remnants in Negros Occidental in 2025 alone, with each incident reportedly justified through similar “spy-tagging” accusations.
These acts are alleged to violate Republic Act 9851, also known as the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity, Moreno said.
The group also emphasized that these actions also breach the Principle of Distinction under IHL, which strictly mandates the protection of civilians and prohibits targeting non-combatants in any context.
“We are bringing these cases to the CHR because every civilian life matters, and no one should be targeted or killed without due process,” Moreno said.
He added: “The practice of labeling individuals as spies to justify killings is a dangerous precedent that endangers entire communities.”
Moreover, Sambayanan-Negros requested the CHR-NIR to undertake three key actions, including the establishment of facts surrounding these killings and identify all responsible parties; determine if the acts constitute gross violations of human rights, IHL, and Republic Act 9851; and refer the investigation findings to the Department of Justice for appropriate criminal prosecution. | GB
