University of Maryland community holds vigil for Negros 19 massacre victims

The University of Maryland community held a vigil to commemorate the five-month anniversary of the Negros 19 massacre, an incident involving military clashes in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso, Negros Occidental, on April 19.

The victims included two Filipino American citizens, Kai Sorem and Lyle Prijoles. While the Armed Forces of the Philippines described the event as a “lawful, intelligence-driven operation” against suspected members of the New People’s Army, human rights groups and the New People’s Army have contested this. The New People’s Army identified nine of the nineteen victims as unarmed civilians.

Organizers and attendees at the vigil demanded justice and called for investigations into the violence, citing concerns that the incident reflects a pattern of international law violations by the Philippine military. The event was organized by groups including Anakbayan College Park and the university’s chapter of the Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines.