August 10, 2026
The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) condemns the continued militarization and violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) committed by the Armed Forces in the Philippines (AFP) in Abra Province, northern Philippines.
On August 4, soldiers of the 50th and 98th Infantry Battalions of the Philippine Army clashed with around ten alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the Barangay Bonglo, in the mountainous region of Licuan-Baay, Abra, where three NPA members were reportedly killed. This is the fourth reported armed encounter between the two groups, following an incident on August 2 in the same area, and on July 19-20 in the town of Tineg, Abra.
The three NPA members killed have since been identified as Eugune Hilaus, Jeloven Davide Escobilla, and Eric Dayandante. Relatives of the fatalities together with a humanitarian team led by local human rights groups Ilocos Human Rights Alliance (IHRA) and the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) who claimed the bodies endured bureaucratic delaying tactics by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and reported severe mishandling of the remains by state forces.
The bodies were reportedly left in the encounter site for more than a day, despite heavy rains. At 10 AM on August 6, Eugene Hilaus’ mother accompanied by paralegals from the CHRA went to the funeral home to claim the remains of his son. She was told that the autopsy of the bodies had not started yet. It was not until 5:56 PM when she was able to sign the turnover receipt and even then, it would take five more hours before the body was officially turned over. On top of such agonizing delays, the police interrogated Hilaus about his son’s educational background, even though they already have his identification documents.
Due to the lack of urgency and the deliberate delays of the police in releasing the bodies, the CHRA humanitarian team reported that the bodies had suffered severe decomposition. Employees of the funeral home reportedly had to step outside repeatedly to vomit due to the overwhelming physical state of the remains. The inhumane treatment of the dead combatants constitute desecration of remains – a blatant violation of IHL. The deliberate delays and harassment of the fatalities’ civilian relatives also violate the rules of war.
The AFP has a long and bloody record of violating international humanitarian law in Abra. In 2022, AFP troops fired on four civilians whom they falsely accused of being NPA members. In 2023, the 77th IBPA murdered Antonio Diwayan, a farmer from Lacub, who they also misidentified as an NPA member. In 2024, the AFP conducted indiscriminate aerial bombing in Pilar, Abra, which caused the forced evacuation of hundreds in its peasant communities. The worsening militarization in Abra contradicts the Marcos Jr. government’s repeated claims that the province is “insurgency-free”.
While ICHRP expresses utmost condemnation for these violations, we also raise alarm over the planned building of a 2,000-hectare military complex in the towns of Luba and Villaviciosa that will further endanger civilian communities in Abra. These developments are being pushed by the AFP to serve US imperialist interests in the country. ICHRP calls for an end to the worsening militarization in Abra. We demand that the Marcos Jr. government prioritize genuine development and address root causes of the armed conflict instead of further militarizing the province.