The reported recruitment of minors and foreign nationals in armed encounters indicates that the New People’s Army (NPA) is struggling to sustain its ranks and resorting to increasingly desperate measures, according to the government’s anti-insurgency body.
National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) Executive Director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said the trend reflects a weakening movement that can no longer rely on broad local support.
“The fact that they are now deploying children and even foreigners into armed encounters exposes the true state of the movement—it is no longer sustained by the Filipino masses,” Torres said.
His remarks followed the April 19, 2026 encounter in Toboso, Negros Occidental, where 19 alleged NPA members were killed in a clash with government forces. Police reports identified two of the fatalities as American nationals, Lyle Prijoles and Kai Dana-Rene Sorem.
Torres said the involvement of foreign nationals should not be seen as political solidarity, but as exploitation by a group attempting to replenish its ranks.
“This is not international solidarity. This is exploitation,” he said.
Authorities also confirmed that two minors—16-year-old Jolinda Jimena and 17-year-old Dexter Patoja—were among those killed in the same incident, based on field validation and statements from relatives.
Torres stressed that the involvement of children in armed conflict is unacceptable under any circumstance.
“No legitimate cause will ever justify placing children in the line of fire,” he said.
A separate encounter in Samar on April 17 also raised concerns, after another minor identified as alias “John Paul” was reported killed in a clash with government troops, bringing to three the number of minors killed in recent incidents.
Torres said the pattern points to a deeper issue within the insurgent movement.
“This is no longer an isolated incident. This is a pattern of desperation,” he said, noting what he described as a widening recruitment net targeting vulnerable sectors, including the youth and foreign sympathizers.
He added that the recruitment and use of minors violate both domestic and international laws, including International Humanitarian Law, Republic Act No. 11188 (Children in Situations of Armed Conflict Act), and Republic Act No. 7610, as well as the Philippines’ obligations under the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict.
“These are not just tactical decisions. These are criminal acts,” Torres said, calling for accountability.
He also warned that the involvement of foreign nationals suggests recruitment efforts may be extending beyond Philippine communities.
“When a movement can no longer convince its own people, it looks elsewhere,” he said.
Torres urged families, schools, and communities—both locally and abroad—to remain vigilant against recruitment efforts targeting vulnerable individuals.
He said the continued reliance on children and foreign recruits reflects decline, not strength, within the armed movement.