A mass killing in the Philippines sparks rare scrutiny over counterinsurgency violence – but no wider reckoning

Activists hold a banner that reads 'Justice for Negros 19!' during a protest in Manila, Philippines, on April 28, 2026. AP Photo/Aaron Favila

For nearly 60 years, the Philippine government’s war against the insurgent New People’s Army, or NPA, has rumbled on with little accountability in Manila and scarce scrutiny abroad.

That seemed to change on April 19, 2026, when 19 people were killed by Philippine troops in Toboso, Negros Occidental, the Western Visayas region of the country.