Manila: The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Monday welcomed Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson's confirmation that the April 19 encounter between military units and the New People's Army (NPA) in Toboso town was legitimate.

According to Philippines News Agency, the task force stated that Lacson's confirmation represented the "clearest and most decisive rejection" of the communist insurgency by the people of Negros Occidental. The declaration by the governor, the province's highest elected official, was deemed significant due to his understanding of the local realities and sentiments. The task force emphasized that Lacson's assertion that civilian information led to the military operation effectively dismantled false narratives against security forces.

The NTF-ELCAC described Lacson's remarks as the 'strongest, historic repudiation' of the propaganda spread by the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA-Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF). The task force noted that the Toboso encounter demonstrated the communities' unwillingness to tolerate armed insurgents.

The task force highlighted that local governments across Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, Murcia, Hinigaran, Cauayan, Escalante, Calatrava, and Toboso, have repeatedly declared the CPP-NPA-NDF as persona non grata, underscoring the growing rejection of insurgency in the province. NTF-ELCAC also drew attention to 'spy-tagging' killings in Negros, where at least 48 civilians were reportedly killed for being accused by the NPA of acting as military informants.

The task force stated that these killings exposed the true nature of the movement, which terrorizes the very people it claims to represent. The NTF-ELCAC concluded that the residents of Negros Occidental desire lasting peace, economic growth, tourism, investments, and stable communities, rather than continued violence.