The National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas (NDF-EV) condemned the 8th ID’s aerial bombing on a temporary encampment of a New People’s Army (NPA) unit. The group initially reported that the unit was encamped in Barangay Nipa, Palapag, Northern Samar when the bombing occurred at around 2 a.m. on November 29.

The 8th ID reported that the bombing killed one NPA-EV Red fighter. The NPA regional command has yet to issue a statement regarding the matter.

According to the NDF-EV, the bombing’s disproportionally damaging force violated international humanitarian law and the laws of war. “This also demonstrates the 8th ID’s desperation to meet its quota of killings and the never-ending deadlines to crush the revolutionary armed forces this 2025,” NDF-EV spokesperson Celine Manlimbasog said.

The aerial bombing also caused severe negative effects on civilian communities surrounding the area. The residents were startled from their sleep by the loud explosions and the repeated circling of fighter jets that seemed to hover just above their rooftops. Strafing from helicopters even followed later.

The NDF-EV denounced the 8th ID’s justification for the bombing. The fascist military said it was preempting a people’s army’s planned attack against the military troops conducting the Retooled Community Support Program in the area. “These are all lies,” Ka Celine said.

The group added that the Palapag villages had long suffered under military rule and state terrorism even before the typhoons. In fact, according to the NDF-EV, militarization has brought farmers devastation greater than that of typhoons.

The villages record numerous human rights violations cases whenever the military conducts combat operations and RCSP. These include intimidation, forced surrender, hamletting, and hostage-taking of peasant families, including minors, who refuse being used against the movement and the masses.

“The latest bombing in Palapag further deepened the trauma of the farmers who have long suffered military repression and atrocities,” Ka Celine said.

The NDF-EV called on the people of Palapag to expose and resist the 8th ID’s fascist attacks on their communities. It urged the people to use social media to document and expose the military’s abuses in the countryside.

The NDF-EV also appealed to human rights groups to help the people of Palapag expose their worsening situation.