𝗡𝗧𝗙-𝗘𝗟𝗖𝗔𝗖 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗹-𝗔𝗺 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘀 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗵

April 25, 2026

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) issues a strong and urgent advisory to Filipino communities abroad—particularly in the United States—to remain vigilant against individuals and networks that may be drawing members of the Filipino diaspora into armed conflict in the Philippines.

This advisory comes in the wake of the reported death of Filipino-American Lyle Prijoles, whom Bayan USA—an organization that is part of a broader network linked to the communist movement—publicly identified as among those killed in the recent armed encounters in Toboso, Negros Occidental.

Prijoles was reported to have been an active member of Anakbayan-USA since 2012, based on information from his publicly accessible Facebook profile, where he indicated that he served as the organization’s solidarity officer until 2016 before assuming the role of education officer from 2016 to 2019.

Anakbayan-USA is another organization linked to the communist movement, alongside Bayan-USA. His profile also indicates that he studied at San Francisco State University in California.

We extend our deep condolences to his family. His passing is a tragedy. But it is also a warning.

What is increasingly evident is the emergence of a disturbing pattern involving members of the Filipino-American community—from Chantal Anicoche, to Cristina Pasion, and now Lyle Prijoles—whose cases raise serious concerns about how individuals are being influenced, guided, or drawn into situations that ultimately place their lives at grave risk.

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.

This is not a matter of political disagreement. This is a matter of safety, protection, and responsibility.

We urge Filipino families, community leaders, and organizations overseas to exercise due diligence in their engagements, to ask hard questions, and to remain alert to any efforts that encourage or normalize participation in conflict-related activities in the Philippines.

The facts surrounding the Toboso encounter—an engagement triggered by civilian reporting, involving a ranking NPA leader with a ₱1 million bounty, the recovery of firearms, a wounded soldier, and the arrest of fleeing elements—underscore the reality that those present were in a live combat environment, not a civilian setting.

To simply declare individuals as “martyrs” under these circumstances risks reducing human lives into symbols for a cause, rather than confronting the full weight of the loss borne by their families. It shifts the narrative away from the most urgent question: how are these individuals being led into harm’s way?

We also reiterate our urgent appeal to Cristina Pasion to surface and avail of assistance while there is still time. Reports from the field have indicated that she may have been injured in recent encounters in Mindoro, and there are ongoing concerns about her condition. We hope she remains safe.

We call on all stakeholders—family members, Filipino community leaders abroad, civil society organizations, and concerned individuals—to act collectively and decisively to persuade and pressure NPA elements in Mindoro to release Ms. Pasion and allow her safe passage home.

This is about saving a life—a life that must not be lost to the same fate that befell Lyle Prijoles.

This tragedy must serve as a wake-up call to Filipino communities worldwide. No Filipino—whether in the homeland or abroad—should be placed in harm’s way under circumstances that could have been prevented.

We remain steadfast in our commitment: to protect lives, to uphold the rule of law, and to ensure that no more of our kababayan are drawn into armed conflict under false or misleading premises.

Undersecretary Ernesto C. Torres Jr.

Executive Director

NTF-ELCAC