The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP )on Tuesday, May 12, condemned the use of dehumanizing language on social media, where fatalities from military encounter in Toboso, Negros Occidental were referred to as "corned beef."

Public scrutiny continues over the deaths of the 19 people, now known as “Toboso 19,” whose remains showed signs of poor handling, according to the initial findings of forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun.

“The AFP does not condone the disrespectful or dehumanizing language towards any individual, regardless of any affiliation,” AFP spokesperson Francel Margareth Padilla said when asked about the comments circulating on social media.

“So we remind the public that every loss of life is a serious matter and the discussion surrounding armed conflict should remain respectful, responsible, and grounded on facts,” she added.

Padilla sought to separate the military from language that critics said stripped the dead of dignity.

“Sa bawat sitwasyon po, tayo ay patuloy na pinalalahanan na ang bawat pagkawala ng buhay ay hindi lamang numero. Ito ay isang seryosong usapin na dapat tratuhin nang may dignidad at paggalang,” she said.

“So bilang isang professional na organization ang AFP, naninindigan po kami na ang mga talakayan ukol sa mga armadong tunggalian na ito, dapat po manatiling nakabatay sa katotohanan, responsable, at may malasakit sa dignidad ng tao,” she continued.

“At the end of the day, any human life lost should be respected.”

‘Fortun’s findings are preliminary’

Earlier, Fortun disclosed her initial forensic findings on the remains of five of the 19 fatalities in the April 19 encounter between suspected NPA rebels and the military in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso town .

Fortun said the bodies appeared to have been “poorly handled” as she raised questions about the military’s account that the deaths resulted from a legitimate encounter with members of the New People’s Army (NPA).

For the AFP, Padilla stressed that Fortun’s observations were still preliminary.

“At this stage, we emphasize that the findings presented are preliminary in nature and we caution against drawing premature conclusions to this while the investigation and the validation process is currently ongoing,” she said.

Answering the question posed by Fortun as to why some of the fatalities had gunshot wounds on their back, the AFP maintained that the site was an active combat zone and not an ordinary crime scene.

“Ito kasing mga engkwentro na ito kapag armed encounter ito, highly fluid kasi ito and ang situation dito is unpredictable. So combatants may maneuver, they may reposition, they may retreat, or they may take cover while in the exchange of fire, while it is ongoing,” she explained.

“Wound trajectories alone without complete reconstruction of the incident and the validation of all evidence do not automatically establish intent or wrongdoing,” she added.

The military noted that it opened the scene of the encounter to outside investigators from the Philippine National Police – Scene of the Crime Operatives (PNP-SOCO), “showing that the AFP is open to any investigation that is going to be conducted.”

One of the most “troubling” findings by Fortun was the case of a woman who was shot four times, three of which were non-fatal, but the fatal one hit her leg, which struck an artery and a vein, indicating she bled to death.

Fortun asked if the military did not see the wounded individual or if they refused to attend to her and let her bleed to death.

Asked if leaving a wounded person behind could constitute a war crime, Padilla said it was too early to conclude wrongdoing.

“I’d like to reiterate that our troops on the ground are trained and well aware of international humanitarian law, our rules of engagement, and of course, human rights,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Army disputed claims that soldiers mishandled the bodies after the encounter.

“We respect the expertise of Dr. Fortun. As to the activities after the encounter, it is the Philippine National Police SOCO who processed and documented yung mga cadavers doon sa encounter site,” Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said.

“After the encounter, wala tayong ginalaw. Ang Philippine Army, we let the SOCO cordon the area to ensure na proper documentation and processes ang magawa nila doon,” he added.