Eleven of the 19 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels killed in a military operation in Toboso, Negros Occidental tested positive for gunpowder residue, police said Thursday, as authorities maintained that the April 19 incident was a legitimate armed encounter.
Col. Reynaldo Calaoa, chief of the Philippine National Police Regional Forensic Unit (PNP-RFU), said forensic examination showed that 11 of the bodies were positive for gunpowder nitrates, which he described as an indication that they fired their weapons during the clash with troops of the Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion.
“Out of the 19 bodies, 11 of them were found to be positive for gunpowder nitrates,” Calaoa said during a press briefing organized by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) at Camp Aguinaldo.
Calaoa declined to identify which of the 19 tested positive, citing the ongoing investigation.
He also clarified that the eight others who tested negative for gunpowder residue should not automatically be presumed to have not fired their weapons.
“It does not necessarily mean that since they tested negative, they did not fire,” Calaoa said.
He explained that false negative results may occur because of several factors, including exposure to water, moisture, wind direction, and the type of firearm used.
“Most of them were immersed in water, meaning their hands were wet,” Calaoa said.
He added that the rebels were reportedly carrying rifles, whose muzzles are farther from the hands compared to handguns, making residue transfer less likely. High moisture and strong winds in open encounter sites may also reduce or disperse gunpowder residue.
Authorities also said fired cartridge cases were recovered from the rebels’ positions, which police said further indicated that the insurgents had fired their weapons.
The forensic findings were released after some groups claimed that the 19 rebels had been massacred, an allegation earlier denied by military officials.
Negros Occidental police director Col. Dennis Wenceslao said investigators also documented the recovery of firearms and other war materiel from the slain rebels.
“The presence of these firearms and combat-related equipment indicates that the individuals involved were armed and capable of engaging in hostilities,” Wenceslao said.
Citing witness accounts from residents and soldiers, as well as physical evidence, Wenceslao said troops of the 79th IB were fired upon by armed individuals, resulting in a firefight.
“Overall, the Toboso encounter is a sustained counter-insurgency armed engagement involving members of the CTG supported by physical evidence and witness statements,” he said.
Wenceslao said the PNP Special Investigation Task Group Toboso is finalizing documentary requirements for the filing of cases against NPA leaders.
He said the possible charges include violation of international law for allegedly using minor combatants, human trafficking, and violation of the Revised Penal Code in connection with the wounding of one soldier during the operation.