Vigil held in New York for Fil-Am victims of Negros Occidental clash

NEW YORK — Friends and colleagues held a vigil at the Philippine Consulate in New York for two Filipino Americans who were among the 19 individuals killed in an alleged encounter in Toboso, Negros Occidental.

The group condemned the deaths of the 19 persons, which included two Filipino Americans, Lyle Prijoles and Kai Sorem. Filipino activist RJ Ledesma, and University of the Philippines (UP) students Alyssa Alano and Maureen Keil Santuyo, were also among the fatalities.

Winnie Payabyab of BAYAN USA Northeast said that despite the incident, they will continue their struggle to achieve genuine freedom and democracy in the Philippines.

READ: Who was Alyssa Alano, the UP student leader killed in Negros clash?

Payabyab also recalled the lessons she learned from her friend, Lyle Prijoles.

"If there's anything that Lyle taught me, it is that bravery doesn't always mean fearlessness, but sometimes means doing something despite fear because of whom we do it for. He taught me how to be brave and to act even when we are afraid. He taught me that even when we are faced with personal challenges, we should not let them stop us from doing what matters most. I will never forget that lesson," Prijoles said.

Earlier, the Malaya Movement USA said Prijoles was a Filipino American who was born in San Diego and became a community organizer in the Bay Area. 

Meanwhile, Anakbayan USA had said Sorem returned to the Philippines in 2026 "to deepen her knowledge of her country and culture." 

Both groups denounced the "massacre" that claimed the lives of Prijoles, Sorem, and several others in a clash with government troops in Toboso, Negros Occidental on April 19. 

GMA News has reached out to the families of Prijoles and Sorem but has yet to receive a response as of posting time.

READ: Who was Maureen Keil Santuyo, the other UP student killed in Negros clash? 

Meanwhile, the non-government New York Committee of Human Rights of the Philippines (NYCHRP) expressed admiration for the significant contributions of RJ Ledesma.

"RJ Ledesma's era of activism saw the collapse of decades of hard-earned gains for the peasant movement in Negros, as local activists were killed, jailed, and forced to flee the country. Bearing witness to all of this, RJ's choice to remain to tend to the bodies, the paperwork, the narrative, and the many aftermaths reflects an ever-deepening commitment to the people's struggle that is nothing short of saintly. He recognized the responsibility to hold the movement together despite all the ruptures created by the state. He did this with principled gentleness and the sensibility of a poet, accepting all the risks and consequences with grace," said Xue Hong of the NYCHRP.

"We know that these barbaric massacres are not isolated events. We know these massacres are not accidents. We know that these acts are part of systemic and systematic violence by US and US-backed forces that seek to silence, fragment, and exploit working-class communities," the group said.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has maintained that the Toboso incident was a lawful military operation conducted "based on verified reports from civilians on the presence of armed elements in the area." — VDV, GMA News