BACOLOD CITY – Relatives have claimed the remains of at least eight of the 19 New People's Army (NPA) members killed during the April 19 clashes in Toboso, Negros Occidental, the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) said Thursday.

Among those identified and claimed was Roger Fabillar Tapang, 36, the head of the special operations unit for the dismantled Northern Negros Front (NNF), who carried a P1-million bounty for multiple murder cases.

The other identified fatalities were Rene Villarin Sr., 58; Ruel Sabillo, 19; Sonny Boy Caramihan, 28; Pedro Bonghanoy, 32; Arnel Javoc, 32; Joros Caramihan, 18; and a 17-year-old male from Escalante City.

PRO-NIR Director Police Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay said the Philippine National Police is ensuring all recovered bodies are handled with dignity and returned to their families in accordance with lawful procedures.

The Special Investigation Task Group Toboso is currently utilizing forensic examination and documentation to establish the identities of the remaining 11 fatalities.

“Our continuing efforts are now focused on the identification of the remaining fatalities through follow-up coordination with possible relatives and further medico-legal documentation,” Ibay said.

In a related development, police arrested five individuals, including two high-ranking squad leaders, on the Circumferential Road in Talisay City, Negros Occidental on Wednesday night.

One of the arrested was alias “Glem,” 48, the NNF squad leader and the region's No. 2 most wanted person, who faces a string of charges including murder and crimes against humanity.

The other squad leader was identified as alias “Dan,” 25, who leads a unit under the Central Negros Front 2. The three other suspects were identified by their aliases as “Jud,” 34; “Ju,” 26; and “Je,” 57, a resident of Bacolod City.

The PRO-NIR said that some of the suspects were wounded at the time of the arrest and are receiving necessary medical attention. Authorities recovered four short firearms, several rounds of live ammunition, and explosive devices from the suspects during the operation.

The list did not include student leader Alyssa Alano and human rights advocate and community journalist RJ Nichole Ledesma.

Alano and Ledesma were earlier identified by the University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman Student Council, and Altermidya Network, respectively, as among the fatalities in the encounter.

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

He also served as editor in chief of Spectrum, the student publication of the University of Saint La Salle (USLS)–Bacolod, where he graduated with a degree in Psychology.

Altermidya Network said Ledesma was in the area doing community work and immersion reporting on the effects of renewable energy projects – including solar farm expansion and windmill projects – on vulnerable farmer communities.

He also reported on reclamation projects in this highly-urbanized city, the expansion of a palm oil plantation in Candoni, Negros Occidental, and the conditions of sacadas and sugar farmworkers.

The Human Rights Advocates Negros (HRAN) said that Ledesma was not in the initial clash site, but was instead attacked in a separate peasant community in Sitio Plariding during an ensuing military pursuit operation.

Tapang was an alleged notorious hitman linked to liquidation targets in northern Negros since 2022, particularly in Calatrava, Toboso, and Escalante City.

Ibay said they are committed to assist grieving families and facilitate the timely release of their departed relatives.

The SITG will ensure the identification through forensic examination, documentation, and coordination with local government units (LGUs) and relatives of the deceased.

He assured the public that coordination with remaining families and concerned agencies continues until all identified cadavers are released and all post-encounter processes are completed.

Major Gen. Michael Samson, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division (ID), conferred a wounded personnel medal to a soldier wounded in a clash with remnants of the NNF during a visit to a hospital here on Wednesday, April 22.

Samson commended his 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.

Relief efforts are ongoing to assist more than 500 displaced residents in Toboso town and part of Escalante City. (with a report from PNA)