02/05/2026
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐, ๐๐๐๐.
The government has declared that the operation was legitimate, yet no credible investigation would back up these claims. The military claimed that all the 19 fatalities were anti- government fighters; however, these assertions were disputed by various human rights organizations, progressive groups, progressive lawmakers, and even the CPP. The CPP reported that 9 of the 19 fatalities were unarmed civilians, including students, researchers, and journalists. According to reports this also led to the displacement of over 300 individuals within the vicinity as they were forced to flee from their homes due to the fighting and subsequent military operations.
Two of the fatalities were UPD USC Councilor Mx. Alyssa Alano and Mx. Maureen Santuyo. Alyssa and Maureen were not combatants; They were our fellow iskolars ng bayan, activists, dedicated student-leaders, and fierce champions of the marginalized. Their death was a loss to the university and a theft of our nationโs future. We lost both scholars and visionary student leaders. They both presented what a true iskolar ng bayan isโa person who refuses to let their education be confined within the four corners of the room, and insted used their knowledge in service to the people,
From a Biological perspective, the Toboso tragedy is a direct assault on life. Human survival depends on safe and stable conditions, yet violence destroys both. Armed conflict does not only take lives in an instantโit creates fear, instability, and suffering that weaken people and communities over time. Displacement strips families of access to clean water, food, and shelter, turning preventable hardships into life-threatening realities and making recovery from harm far more difficult. We affirm a clear truth: life cannot endure where violence is allowed to persist. When communities are attacked, the very conditions that sustain life are torn apart. To study Biology is not only to understand life, but to stand in its defense. Our science must not remain silentโit must firmly condemn violence and stand with the people whose lives are placed at risk by it.
From a Public Health standpoint, the Toboso tragedy underscores that violence is not only a political and human rights issue, but a critical threat to population health. In line with this yearโs Global Public Health Week theme, โPeace for Health, Health for Peace,โ we affirm that health cannot exist in conditions of fear, displacement, and injustice. Armed conflict and militarization fracture health systems, interrupt access to care, and deepen existing inequities, placing already vulnerable communities at even greater risk. As Public Health students, we also recognize our responsibility to engage in community-centered research that amplifies the lived experiences of marginalized populations. By documenting their realities, listening to their narratives, and translating these into evidence for policy and action, we contribute to a more inclusive and responsive health system. We recognize that achieving genuine health outcomes requires more than medical interventions; it demands peace, social justice, and the protection of human rights as fundamental determinants of health.
True and lasting peace will never be forged through violence, nor will it be won by burying voices of dissent. Peace is not just the absence of war; it demands an uncompromising commitment to uprooting decades of deep-seated inequality, especially the urgent need for genuine land reform, systemic change, and the relentless pursuit of social justice. ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ก ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ค๐ฃ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐, ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐ง๐๐ข๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐ข๐๐จ๐. We will not let the truth be buried with the victims of the Toboso tragedy.
๐๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก, ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ. ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ง. ๐๐๐ญ, ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ lies ๐ง๐จ๐ญ within ๐ฅ๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฌ, ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐. ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐๐ค๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐.
๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ง๐ผ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ผ ๐ญ๐ต ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฒ. ๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐ ๐ถ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น๐. ๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ท๐๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ, ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ can be no peace!
Fortune Favors the Bold,
UPV CLOVERS
