11/05/2026
PEACE ROOTED IN JUSTICE: CAFHR CALLS FOR ADDRESSING
THE ROOT CAUSES OF ARMED CONFLICT
Official Statement of the UP Baguio Committee on the Promotion and Protection of Academic Freedom and Human Rights on the Toboso Tragedy
The University of the Philippines Baguio Committee on the Promotion and Protection of Academic Freedom and Human Rights (CAFHR) stands in profound sadness and solidarity with the families, friends and communities of the victims of the 19 April 2026 tragedy in Toboso, Negros Occidental that claimed the lives of 19 Filipinos.
Various reports have identified the fatalities. We honor the memory of Alyssa Alano, a student-activist and current councilor of the UP Diliman University Student Council; Maureen Keil Santuyo, a UP Open University student and peasant organizer; RJ Nichole Ledesma, a poet and community journalist; Errol Wendel Chen, an organizer who worked closely with peasant communities; Filipino-Americans Lyle Prijoles and Kai Dana-Rene Sorem, US-based community advocates; Roel Sabillo, a 19-year-old resident; and two minors, aged 15 and 17; all whose lives were tragically cut short. Beyond this loss of life, we are deeply concerned for the rural communities currently displaced by the escalating conflict in the region.
We share your grief, as much as we share your demand for the truth.
As members of an academic institution committed to critical thought, we assert that the presence of Alyssa, Mau, RJ, Errol, Lyle and Kai in these communities reflected commitments to scholarship, reportage, and service to underserved and marginalized communities, not only as immersion, but pakikipamuhay - the highest form of extension service and community solidarity. Understanding the complexities of Philippine society requires being on the ground, listening and documenting the struggles of our people. Such work forms part of the exercise of academic freedom and the University’s public service mandate, and must be respected and protected, especially in situations of armed conflict.
We are likewise deeply disturbed by the vitriol and social media commentary that seek to vilify and red-tag activists, student-volunteers, community organizers, and journalists as “enemies of the state.” These are not harmless exercises in opinion, but calculated attempts to discredit their work and contributions. Red-tagging creates a chilling effect that normalizes hostility and threats, and undermines academic activities and research. We reject the use of digital spaces to endanger our constituents or criminalize their mandate to serve the nation.
We join the urgent call for an impartial and transparent investigation into these killings. We remind all parties that even in the midst of conflict, International Humanitarian Law and Philippine law require the protection of civilians and persons not directly participating in hostilities, including students, organizers, journalists, local residents, and minors.
However, justice for them requires more than just an investigation into the incident - it requires that we end the cycle of violence. We stand with those calling for the resolution of the root causes of the insurgency in our country, so that peace is not merely the absence of gunfire, but the realization of social equity, genuine land reform, and economic security.
We support renewed efforts toward meaningful and principled peace negotiations as part of addressing the longstanding roots of armed conflict. We must choose dialogue and peaceful resolution so that no more Iskolar ng Bayan, peacemakers, social advocates, children, and innocents continue to be lost in situations of armed conflict.
In honoring their memory, we reaffirm our commitment to academic freedom, human rights, the rule of law, and the pursuit of a just and lasting peace.
