Urgent Alert
August 6, 2025
The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) strongly condemns the aerial bombardment and strafing conducted by the 16th Infantry Battalion (IB) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Brgy. Maguibuay, Tagkawayan, Quezon province in Southern Tagalog.
According to local human rights group Tanggol Quezon, the bombing occurred in the afternoon of August 2, causing widespread fear and terror amongst the residents and peasants in the affected communities. As the sound of explosions filled the air, two helicopters from the AFP were reportedly sighted in the skies of Tagkawayan. Just a day after, the 2nd Infantry Division of the AFP reported a clash between soldiers of the 16th IB and the New People’s Army (NPA), killing one member of the NPA.
The alleged NPA combatant was laid to rest on August 5 by the local government of Tagkawayan. On the same day, Tanggol Quezon’s humanitarian mission team reported surveillance and tailing from at least ten intelligence agents of the AFP. The team was sent to investigate possible violations of human rights and international humanitarian law (IHL) in the affected areas.
The bombings directly contradict Marcos Jr.’s declaration in his 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA) that guerilla forces of the CPP-NPA-NDF no longer exist in the country. It also runs counter to the AFP’s oft-repeated “insurgency-free” declaration of the Quezon province, and the “Stable Internal Peace Situation” declaration by the Tagkawayan local government for the past two years. These counterinsurgency operations are aligned with Marcos Jr.’s National Action Plan for Unity, Peace and Development (NAP-UPD).
The AFP claims to observe utmost respect and supposedly has “unwavering commitment” in promoting and upholding international humanitarian law. It is then the peak of irony that it commits IHL violations just two days into the month of August, which is celebrated as international humanitarian law month in the Philippines.
ICHRP calls on its member organizations, allies, and solidarity activists abroad to strongly condemn the bombings in Quezon province. We enjoin the international community to write and send petition letters addressed to the following individuals and offices, and urge them to address the worsening human rights and IHL crisis in the Philippines:
- Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. – Chief of Staff, of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
- Gilberto Teodoro Jr. – Secretary of National Defense of the Philippines
- Mirjana Spoljaric Egger – President of the International Committee of the Red Cross
- Office of the Philippine Embassy in your country
