The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has issued an advisory to Filipino communities overseas, urging vigilance against organizations allegedly facilitating the involvement of the diaspora in the Philippines’ domestic armed struggle.
The warning follows a recent military operation in Negros Occidental that resulted in 19 fatalities. Among those killed were Filipino-American activists Lyle Prijoles and Kai Sorem.
While the Philippine Army and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) identified the deceased as members of the New People’s Army (NPA), the rebel group stated that while a leader and a small squad were lost, several others killed were civilians. The casualty list reportedly included a university student, a community journalist, and peasant advocates.
The task force emphasized that recruitment often occurs under the guise of identity-based activism and solidarity. In an official statement, the NTF-ELCAC remarked:
“We caution Filipino Communities abroad: not all that is presented as advocacy or solidarity is benign. There are actors operating within certain spaces who, under the language of cause and identity, are facilitating pathways that lead to direct exposure to armed confrontation.”
The agency further clarified that the advisory is rooted in the physical security of Filipinos abroad rather than ideological differences, stating:
“This is not a matter of political disagreement. This is a matter of safety, protection, and responsibility.”
The NPA has conducted guerrilla warfare against the Philippine government since 1969, citing systemic corruption, landlessness, and foreign intervention as the drivers of national poverty.
Conversely, the government maintains that it has successfully dismantled all active guerrilla fronts and anticipates the conclusion of the decades-long insurgency in the near future.