A Catholic bishop called for an independent investigation into a deadly Easter weekend clash in Negros Occidental’s Toboso town, warning against conflicting official narratives and possible abuses.
At least 19 people were killed April 19 in a clash between government troops and suspected communist New People’s Army rebels in the remote sugarcane-farming region.
The military said its forces killed insurgents, but rights advocates claimed some victims were civilians, including a student leader and a local journalist.
Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos said the bloodshed raised troubling unanswered questions about whether all those killed were armed combatants.
“The incident in Toboso has left not only lives lost, but questions that remain painfully unresolved,” Alminaza said in a public statement.
He urged authorities, media and citizens to resist hasty conclusions while demanding credible, transparent and impartial scrutiny of the security operation.
“We stand not at the end of a story, but at the beginning of a moral responsibility,” said the bishop, who is also the president of Caritas Philippines.
Alminaza stressed that every human life is sacred, warning that labels such as suspect or collateral damage cannot erase human dignity.
He said the state’s use of force carries grave moral responsibility requiring not only legality, but accountability and full public transparency.
The bishop called for an impartial inquiry by appropriate institutions, protection for witnesses and grieving families, and full disclosure of evidence.
“Without truth, there can be no justice. Without justice, there can be no peace,” he said.
The statement comes as rights advocates and religious leaders increasingly scrutinize anti-insurgency and law enforcement operations involving civilian deaths.
Alminaza also urged journalists and digital platforms to report responsibly, avoid sensationalism and preserve the dignity of victims.
As bishop of the San Carlos diocese, which covers parts of Negros Island, Alminaza has consistently spoken on social justice and human rights issues.
