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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Visayas devider Brawner: Negros clash where UP student killed legit, Alano armed, fighting

Brawner: Negros clash where UP student killed legit, Alano armed, fighting

Published Apr 24, 2026 08:46 pm
BRAWNER
BRAWNER

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CEBU CITY -- The chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) pushed back against claims that innocent individuals were killed during an encounter between the military and the New People's Army (NPA) in Barangay Salamamca, Taboso, Negros Occidental on Sunday, April 19.
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‎"The evidence is there, all of them are armed," Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. told reporters during his visit to the Visayas Command here on Friday, April 24.
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‎Brawner was reacting to social media posts that one of those who died in the encounter, Alyssa Alano, a student of UP Diliman, was just conducting community emersion together with farmers and was not a member of the NPA.
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‎Brawner said Alano was clad in combat rig when she was spotted by the military.
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‎"She was armed, she was fighting," Brawner said.
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‎Brawner said Alano's case was different from that of Fil-Am activist Chantal Anicoche, who was found by military during an encounter in Occidental Mindoro last January.
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‎"Our soldiers saw them that they were really fighting. Unlike in the case of Shantal, she was not fighting when the troops found her. So what did we do? We took her in our custody, we gave her the proper medical attention and we even called up her parents and she was picked up by her parents and brought her back to the United States," said Brawner.
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‎Brawner emphasized that government troops are not human violators. He added that the AFP is open to an investigation that the Commission on Human Rights may be conducting.
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‎Brawner, however, said that the NPA must also be investigated for their alleged involvement in the deaths of innocent people.
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‎"They should investigate. We were doing a legitimate operation, the Armed Forces is doing a legitimate operation, we were operating within the bounds of law," Brawner said.
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‎"We are open if they will investigate," he added. "We will cooperate, we will show them all the necessary documents, the videos that we have showing that the NPA members were armed before the encounter."
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‎Brawner said the encounter was an intelligence-driven operation.
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‎During the encounter, 19 suspected members of the NPA were killed while five persons were arrested.
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‎At least 24 firearms were also recovered.(

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Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. NPA
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