Alyssa Alano, a student from the University of the Philippines Diliman, was reportedly armed when her body was discovered following an encounter between soldiers and suspected New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Toboso, Negros Occidental. Alano was among 19 individuals killed in the clash on April 19, 2026.
AFP Chief Cites Evidence
According to Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr., video and photographic evidence showed Alano wearing a vest containing magazines for high-caliber weapons. Speaking during his visit to the Visayas Command headquarters on Friday, April 24, 2025, Brawner stated that soldiers observed Alano engaging in a firefight alongside NPA members.
"To put it simply, it was an outreach program, but the evidence is there. All of them were armed, including Alyssa Alano, who is being portrayed as an innocent student. If she was innocent and had no intention of joining an armed group, why was she found wearing combat gear, with a vest containing magazines?" Brawner said.
Military Operation Details
The 79th Infantry Battalion had launched a legitimate internal security operation following a series of killings of civilians suspected by the NPA of being military spies. The military intensified patrols in mountainous areas and received information about seven armed individuals in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso. However, they were surprised to encounter over 30 NPA members who engaged them in a firefight.
General Brawner denied accusations from the communist group that the military violated the human rights of residents and the deceased, asserting that the soldiers were merely organizing farmers in the area where the encounter took place.
Combatant Status
Brawner explained that any individual found in the encounter site alongside NPA members and participating in the firefight against soldiers is considered a combatant and thus a legitimate casualty. "Once you start fighting, firing against our government forces, then you are a combatant, and of course, you may become a casualty," he added.
He also acknowledged the Commission on Human Rights' intention to investigate the incident but urged the agency to include the NPA in its probe, noting that the rebel group has also killed innocent civilians in Negros who were merely suspected of being military assets.
