Community journalist among 19 killed in Toboso clash

BACOLOD CITY – The Altermidya Network, a coalition of independent and progressive media groups, institutions and individuals, has mourned the killing of its colleague, RJ Nichole Ledesma, who was among the 19 suspected New People’s Army members killed in a series of clashes with military troops in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso, Negros Occidental, on April 19.

Ledesma was a writer and editor of Paghimutad Negros, an alternative media outfit focused on human rights reporting and grassroots storytelling, and the regional coordinator of Altermidya in Negros Island.

He also served as editor in chief of Spectrum, the student publication of the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod, where he graduated with a degree in psychology.

According to Altermidya, Ledesma was in the area doing community work and immersion reporting on the effects of renewable energy projects — including solar farm expansion and wind projects — on vulnerable farming communities.

The group said he had also reported on reclamation projects in Bacolod, the expansion of a palm oil plantation in Candoni, and the conditions of sakadas and sugar farmworkers.

Altermidya cited a statement from Human Rights Advocates Negros saying Ledesma was not at the site of the initial clash, but was allegedly attacked in a separate peasant community in Sitio Plaridel during a subsequent military pursuit operation.

“We give the highest honor to our colleague RJ, who until his last breath served marginalized communities by immersing and reporting on their stories. Together with his family and colleagues, we demand justice for RJ Ledesma,” the group said.

The Philippine Army had not publicly addressed that specific allegation as of the latest available reports, and earlier reports said authorities had yet to release the names of all the fatalities.

The deadly skirmish resulted in the killing of alleged rebel leader Roger Fabillar, also known as Arnel and Jhong Tapang, whom the military linked to liquidation operations in northern Negros since 2022.

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Michael Samson, commander of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, conferred a Wounded Personnel Medal on an injured soldier involved in the clash during a hospital visit on Wednesday.

Samson commended the soldier’s bravery and underscored the Army’s commitment to peace in the province.

“This medal is not only a recognition of his sacrifice, but also a symbol of the courage and dedication of every soldier who stands in defense of our people,” he said in a statement.

Samson said the soldier’s resilience inspired the Army to continue its mission of securing lasting peace in the Negros Island Region.

Relief efforts are ongoing for residents displaced by the armed conflict in Toboso and parts of Escalante City, with police and local authorities reporting that more than 500 residents had been affected by the clashes.

The April 19 fighting was among the deadliest recent encounters in Negros Occidental and drew renewed attention to the continuing insurgency in the region, as well as to competing accounts over the identities and circumstances of those killed.