By Ishia Eleanor F. Marquez
Two months after the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) operation in Toboso, Negros Occidental, the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), along with 42 student publications, condemned the deaths of journalist RJ Nichole Ledesma and Toboso 19 victims, amplifying the call for justice in a unified statement released last Sunday, June 21.
“The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) forwards the people's call for justice and accountability, which remains unheeded, over the deaths of Negros-based Guilder RJ Nichole Ledesma and eight other youth activists in Toboso, Negros Occidental on April 19, 2026,” it read.
The operation was conducted by the AFP to confront alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Toboso, which led to the death of 19 individuals.
While the AFP claimed that the casualties were all NPA rebels, it was later found that nine of them were civilians, consisting of youth activists, community researchers, and local residents.
Among the victims was Ledesma, who served as a community journalist for the Paghimutad-Negros Island Alternative Media and a former member of the Negros Island Chapter of the CEGP.
His reportage was primarily centered on environmental issues such as renewable energy projects and the living conditions of agrarian workers.
Highlighting Ledesma’s efforts on journalistic freedom, the statement emphasized his contribution to amplifying and strengthening student journalists’ will in facing press repression and red-tagging.
“The Guild calls on all member publications, press freedom advocates, and allies to collectively affirm the value of Ledesma's contributions to the Guild and to the free press. His efforts strengthened fellow student journalists' resolve to fight tyranny and impunity in these challenging times, especially amid intensifying campus press repression and red-tagging of student editors in the island region,” the statement read.
Furthermore, the CEGP denounced the deaths of several youth activists, including University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman University Student Council Research Councilor Alyssa Alano, who was conducting a community research in Toboso to understand the plight of the farmers amid the state-backed militarization of the area.
The statement also condemned the state’s labeling of the youth victims as ‘rebels’ and ‘terrorists,’ namely youth peasant organizers Maureen Keil Santuyo and Errol Wendel, along with migrant activists Lyle Prijoles and Kai Sorem.
As justice remains evasive, the CEGP slammed authorities for their lack of accountability on the operation’s casualties, further condemning the involvement of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in criminalizing and red-tagging advocates.
Under Executive Order No. 70, the NTF-ELCAC is tasked to address the root causes of insurgency to ensure peace across the country.
However, despite its mandate, the body has been criticized for its persistent red-tagging and oppression toward student activists and community workers.
Moreover, the Guild also denounced the Marcos Jr. administration’s failure to distinguish the difference between community service and armed struggle.
“Their deaths reveal the inhumanity and perversity of the [President Ferdinand] Marcos Jr. administration’s bloodthirsty pursuit of sham ‘peacebuilding’ and national security. This attack dangerously blurs the line between the legitimate community work of human rights defenders and journalists and active combat between belligerent forces — of which Ledesma and his companions were not a part,” the statement read.
Additionally, the CEGP called for the abolition of the NTF-ELCAC and the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, as they prove to harm the safety and welfare of youth activists.
The unified statement garnered signatories from campus publications across the country, including FEU Advocate, The Adamson Chronicle, TomasinoWeb, as well as various publications from the UP and Ateneo campuses.
On top of the student publications’ demands, several progressive groups and human rights advocates held a press conference to officially launch the Justice for Negros 19 Campaign Network at the UP Diliman campus earlier today, June 24.
(Photo courtesy of College Editors Guild of the Philippines Facebook page)