Kapatid, a group of relatives and supporters of political prisoners, called for an investigation into the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) massacre of seven New People’s Army (NPA) fighters on Negros Island on April 27 in Barangay Tapi, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental. They are pushing for the investigation as they doubt whether a “real military encounter actually happened or it was outright execution.”

The seven slain Red fighters are Reniel Locsin Cellon (Ka Randy), Mary Jane Magquilat (Ka Shonie), Charity Amacan (Ka Mayang), Johnrey Mejares (Ka Jai), Glenda Tinio Mejares (Ka Glendyl), Ka Pitong, and Dee Supelanas (Ka Dahlia). Supelanas was a former student leader at the University of the Philippines (UP)-Cebu. Three of the martyrs were senior citizens and had medical conditions that limited their mobility.

Kapatid is puzzled that not one of the seven Red fighters survived. Given the military’s overwhelming advantage in numbers and firepower, the group asks why they were not arrested.

“Why was not even one of them-or all of them-arrested and charged? Turned into political prisoners rather than silenced forever?” the group said.

Kapatid added, “The military claims the insurgency is over.” Negros Occidental was declared a State of Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) in March 2024. “If the NPA has truly been ‘wiped out,’ why are young idealists like Dee Supelanas still joining the longest running insurgency in this part of the world?” said the group.

To determine the full circumstances of the death of the Kabankalan 7, Kapatid called on the Commission on Human Rights to immediately launch an independent and impartial investigation. It also challenged the Department of Justice (DoJ) to look into whether there were violations of the Anti-Torture Law, international humanitarian law (IHL), and other national and international standards that the AFP failed to follow.

“If the DOJ was able to uphold the relevance of international law in supporting the arrest of former President Duterte [by Interpol in accordance with the International Criminal Court’s mandate], then it must do no less for the Kabankalan 7,” Kapatid further challenged.

The group said that the outright killing of the Kabankalan 7, especially when the state held the upper hand in numbers and firepower, raises serious questions. “Supelanas as with the six others are still entitled to due process. Had they been arrested, they could have become political prisoners, not casualties of an alleged shootout where the truth died with them,” the group further said.