It is life’s irony that to keep the peace, violence has to be committed.
Monitoring by Sandatahang Dahas for the month of July showed while state forces are the consistent top perpetrator of state-related killings, they also bear the brunt of consistently having the most injuries in such incidents.
The Sandatahang Dahas (Armed Violence) Project is a monthly monitor by the UP Third World Studies Center on reported state-related violence. Specifically, this pertains to killings and injuries caused by and inflicted on duly-designated gun-bearing members of law enforcement organizations or a public security agent in the Philippines.
On July 2, a shootout in the Carmona Component Police Station (CCPS) in Cavite resulted in two dead and one injured. Oliver “Ahmad” Tinguha had just been released from the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm last June 28 when he was brought to the CCPS due to a theft complaint. Instead of surrendering, Tinguha allegedly took the firearm of a M/Sgt. Joel Mendoza and fired shots, hitting both Mendoza and another police officer, S/Sgt. Joseph Martin Fabula. The police retaliated, shooting Tinguha dead. Mendoza died while being treated at the hospital while Fabula was injured. Another police officer was also injured.
In an encounter between the 2nd Infantry Battalion and the NPA in Masbate, two soldiers were injured in addition to one NPA member slain. Six other state agents were injured during forces operations in July, with three cases in Cebu.
In the PNP Academy in Silang, Cavite, a 23-year-old cadet was sexually assaulted by his senior officer inside the latter’s sleeping quarters on July 31. The victim is currently receiving psychological support while the suspect was charged with acts of lasciviousness. He is currently under investigation by the National Police Commission.
Sandatahang Dahas considers sexual violence as a form of injury when it clearly violates the victim’s bodily integrity. From January to July, we have recorded four such incidents so far.
Intensified counterinsurgency drive
In its 7th month of tracking, Sandatahang Dahas recorded 30 deaths and 18 injuries in incidents of state-related violence. More than half (19) of those killed allegedly belonged to the New People’s Army (NPA), surpassing the 18 killed in June. This trend shows a continuously intense counterinsurgency campaign led by the Armed Forces of the Philippines despite President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s claim during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) that no guerilla fighters exist in the Philippines anymore.
Of the 30 individuals killed this month, police and military forces were responsible for 28: seven by the Philippine National Police (PNP), 19 by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and two in joint operations between the state forces mentioned. On the other hand, two civilians killed one police officer and one Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) officer.
During his SONA last July 28, Marcos made the claim that guerilla groups no longer exist in the country. He went on to state that his government will make sure no such groups form again. Such a statement suggests that all NPA members had surrendered or been killed by the time of his address.
This was immediately contradicted just three days later, when a deadly encounter between the 8th Infantry Division and the NPA took place in Northern Samar, taking the lives of eight NPA members. Of these, three were considered leaders in their respective units: Richard “Joban” Jumadiao, leader of the NPA Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee; Edgar “Ali” Baselga, squad 1 leader of the regional guerilla unit; and alias “Berbon,” vice squad leader of the same unit.
In fact, NPA members account for the majority of the killings in incidents of state-related violence for July. At 19, this month surpassed June’s count, dubbed as the “deadliest month for the CPP-NPA.”
Most encounters between the AFP and the NPA took place in Region V, with nine in Masbate and one in Camarines Sur. Eight of the nine cases in Masbate occurred in the Municipality of Uson. Just one day before the SONA, a single encounter between the 2nd Infantry Battalion and the NPA in Brgy. San Mateo resulted in seven killed. They were reportedly members of the Komiteng Larangan Guerilla South of the Bicol Regional Party Committee according to Maj. Frank Roldan, spokesperson of the 9th Infantry Division.
On July 7, Roel Tremidal Neniel alias “Jacob,” commanding officer of the Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee, was killed in an encounter with the 29th Infantry Battalion in Butuan City. He was reportedly known as one of the most notorious NPA leaders in the Caraga region.
Since January, Sandatahang Dahas has recorded 81 members of the NPA killed in encounters with state forces. The NPA has received considerably heavy blows over the past months as many of its leaders have been gunned down including Myrna “Maria Malaya” Sularte (secretary of the NPA-Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee), Larry “Joven” Garcia (commanding officer of the Regional Sentro de Grabidad of the Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee), and his vice commanding officer, alias “Gaga/Garing,” who were all killed on February 12. Despite this, it is clear that the NPA still persists. There have already been reported encounters between the AFP and the NPA in August, including one last August 12 that took the lives of three soldiers. Marcos Jr.’s claim that no guerilla groups exist anymore also inadvertently disregards the state agents who sacrificed their lives in operations against the NPA, of which Sandatahang Dahas has recorded four from January to July.
During forces operations by the state forces, two incidents stand out in July as contested cases. On July 17, Jomar Inidal Dandugan was shot by police and military personnel in Maguindanao del Sur during a joint operation. Dandugan was allegedly in the residence of one Thokz Santuwa Adta who was the subject of an arrest warrant for his involvement in drugs. When state forces arrived, Adta managed to escape while Dandugan and one other companion allegedly opened fire. The state forces retaliated, killing Dandugan and arresting his companion. Sachets of suspected shabu were reportedly recovered from his pockets.
However, his widow stated in an interview with local media that Dandugan was not involved in drug activities at all. This was corroborated by the Pagagawan barangay captain, stating that Dandugan had no prior negative record in the barangay and that he was a mere bystander during the operation. The Datu Montawal police maintain that the operation was legitimate. As of writing, the case is currently being investigated by the Bangsamoro Commission on Human Rights.
On July 23, a man was killed by two members of the Agusan del Norte Police Provincial Mobile Group in the Municipality of Tubay. He had reportedly been wielding a bladed weapon which caused bystanders to call the attention of the police. Upon confrontation, the man reportedly did not surrender, forcing the police officers to shoot. The police involved are currently under investigation as the victim was supposedly experiencing a mental illness-related episode before he was killed.
Incidents of state-related violence happen even outside of state forces’ official duties. So far, Sandatahang Dahas has recorded at least one case of domestic violence committed by or against state agents per month since February of this year. July was no exception. On July 21, a 24-year-old woman was found dead in Bayambang, Pangasinan. She was last seen arguing with her policeman boyfriend near a waiting shed where her body was eventually found. The suspect is now in custody of the police with pending cases of murder and grave misconduct.
State forces also sustained two fatalities during the month of July. In addition to the case of Mendoza in Cavite, PDEA intelligence officer Raffy Escobido was killed during a sting operation in Calamba, Laguna. He had first been wounded during the July 20 encounter but died in the hospital three days later. The suspects involved managed to evade arrest.
Consistent with previous months in the Sandatahang Dahas Monitor, forces operations remain the number one circumstance in which state-related violence occurs, with 28 out of 30 cases falling under this category. Meanwhile, the case of Tingad falls under “death in PSA custody” and that of the 24-year-old woman in Pangasinan classified under “others.” Among the 30 killed, 21 were male, one was female, and eight individuals whose sex at birth was unreported.
In the 18 cases of injurious violence recorded in July, ten were state agents, seven were civilians, and one was allegedly a member of the NPA.
While the consistent top perpetrator of state-related killings, state forces also bear the brunt of consistently having the most injuries in such incidents. The case of Tingad and Mendoza in Cavite also resulted in the injury of another police officer. In an encounter between the 2nd Infantry Battalion and the NPA in Masbate, two soldiers were injured in addition to one NPA member slain. Six other state agents were injured during forces operations in July, with three cases in Cebu.
July also recorded seven cases of injurious violence against civilians in state-related incidents. On July 12, a drunk police officer harassed a sari-sari store staff and the bystanders in Lucena, Quezon. He used his service firearm to threaten the staff and customers, and even hit a woman using the said weapon. After the police officer’s arrest, PNP Quezon Provincial Director PCpl. Romulo Albacea vowed that he will be removed from service.
On July 28, robbery suspect alias “Ed” was injured by members of the PNP Tactical Motorcycle Reaction Unit in Binondo, Manila. Ed, along with an accomplice, had stolen the belongings of a 20-year-old college student minutes prior. While Ed was arrested, his accomplice, bearing the stolen belongings, managed to escape. Nevertheless, Maj. Gen. Anthony A. Aberin of the NCR Police Office used the incident to highlight the importance of street-level police presence.
Along with 19 fatalities, the New People’s Army also sustained at least one injury in its ranks. An encounter between the 58th Infantry Battalion and the NPA in Gingoog, Misamis Oriental reportedly resulted in injuries among the latter. As of this writing, news reports have not released a specific number of injured members; therefore, the case is listed as having one injury for now.
As with the killings, forces operations remain the top circumstance in which state-related injurious violence occurs, with 16 out of 18 cases. Only the cases in Quezon and Silang, Cavite discussed above fall under the “others” category. Of the 18 victims, 14 are male, one is female, and three individuals’ sex at birth was unreported.
Contrary to the previous two months, Luzon had the most cases of state-related violence in July, surpassing Mindanao. Fifteen were killed and seven were injured across the island group. Masbate had the most cases at nine killed and two injured, with all of the cases being due to insurgency-related operations by the AFP. This is followed by Cavite with two killed and two injured. Quezon and the National Capital Region had two cases each, the former with one killed and one injured, and the latter with two injured. The provinces of Pangasinan and Camarines Sur had one killing each in July.
In terms of number of cases, Visayas is right behind Luzon with 18: 10 killed and eight injured. Similar to Luzon, the majority of cases in Visayas are related to anti-insurgency operations, with all of Northern Samar’s eight killings falling under this category. Cebu had one killed and five injured; three of those injured were police officers in forces operations. Negros Occidental, a continuous hotspot of state-related violence across Sandatahang Dahas’ monitoring, had one killed and two injured. Meanwhile, with one police officer injured, Aklan has recorded its first ever case in Sandatahang Dahas.
While the top hotspot for the majority of Sandatahang Dahas’ monitoring in 2025, Mindanao had the least number of cases in July with five killed and three injured. Agusan del Norte and Lanao del Sur had two cases each, with the former having two killed and the latter with one killed and one injured. Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur had one killing each. On the other hand, Misamis Oriental and South Cotabato both recorded one injury.
More than halfway through 2025, cases of state-related violence remain alarmingly high. Similar to the previous months, July recorded cases of police officers in questionable displays of power, both on-duty and not. Notably, July continued the upward trend of lethal violence against alleged members of the New People’s Army, recording the highest kill count in the monitor yet. In response to Marcos Jr., CPP-NPA spokesperson Marco Valbuena stated that the “grand declaration of having crushed the people’s armed resistance will explode in Marcos’ face.” Will the CPP-NPA be able to match its rhetoric with offensive strikes? Or, as has been observed in the previous months, will it continue to bear the brunt of the state’s lethal force? Sandatahang Dahas will continue to monitor how this affects incidents of state-related violence in the coming months.
Aidrielle Raymundo is a university research associate at the Third World Studies Center (TWSC), College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of the Philippines Diliman. She also did the graphics accompanying this report. As TWSC interns, Timothy Antoniette F. De Jesus, Jemrick Giuseppe Pagulayan, and Michael Josh V. Perang provided research assistance for this report. They are political science students from the Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Manila. To learn more about Sandatahang Dahas, visit its website and for the latest updates, follow the Dahas Project in these social media platforms: X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky. Reports for the previous months are available at https://dahas.upd.edu.ph/sd-monthly-reports/.
