Who is Maureen Keil Santuyo, the other UP student killed in Negros clash?

Maureen Keil Santuyo was a peasant advocate and a student at the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU).

She was among the 19 people killed during an alleged encounter with government troops in Toboso, Negros Occidental, on April 19.

Santuyo, fondly known as “Mau” by her peers, was an Associate of Arts student of UPOU and a member of the National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates Youth (NNARA Youth).

In a statement, NNARA Youth described Santuyo as a talented peasant organizer who dedicated her time, energy, and knowledge to serving the working class and advocating for farmers’ rights to land and their livelihood.

She also organized basic mass integrations to help UP Diliman students understand the importance of immersing themselves in the lives of farmers, fisherfolk, peasant women, and the urban poor.

As a UP student, Santuyo led campaigns for safe spaces and opposed the commercialization of the university, NNARA Youth said.

“Mula sa pagiging advocate ng mga magsasaka at community researcher, walang pag-aalinlangan niyang niyakap ang kanyang gampanin bilang organisador ng mga magbubukid sa kanayunan,” the group said.

(From being an advocate for farmers and a community researcher, she wholeheartedly embraced her role as an organizer of peasants in the countryside.)

In a separate statement, the UPOU University Student Council remembered Santuyo as someone who “courageously” served the people.  It said it "deeply mourns" her death.

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has launched an independent investigation into the recent purported clash in Toboso.

“The CHR, through its office in the Negros Island Region, has initiated an independent investigation. Information from local human rights advocates prompted coordination with civil society organizations, local authorities, and security forces, including working with the families for the retrieval of the remains in Toboso and Escalante,” the CHR said in a statement Sunday.

Among those who lost their lives in the alleged clash were local journalist RJ Nichole Ledesma, student leader Alyssa Alano, and Filipino-Americans Lyle Prijoles and Kai Dana-Rene Sorem.

The Philippine Army, for its part, questioned claims that some of those killed were civilians, noting that the fatalities were allegedly carrying firearms.

However, the New People’s Army’s Apolinario Gatmaitan Command disputed the military’s account, saying only a few of those killed were armed fighters and that some were civilians.

Earlier Monday, Malacañang said it respects the independent investigation of the CHR and assured that it won’t intervene in the probe.

On Sunday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said the remains of the 19 fatalities have been turned over to their families, as the CHR began its own investigation into the incident.—LDF, GMA News