Ka Juanito Magbanua, spokesperson of the New People’s Army Apolinario Gatmaitan Command in Negros Island was killed by elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines 94th Infantry Battalion on 10 October. Ka Juanito, whose real name is Romeo Nanta, was suffering from hypertension and arthritis and was staying in the village of Carabalan, Himamaylan City in Negros Island. The AFP captured Ka Juanito alive and subsequently murdered him.
The NPA Apolinario Gatmaitan Command clarified that Ka Juaning chose to stay in Carabalan village to closely monitor the situation of the peasant masses, “while the NPA unit maneuvered away from the area” after an armed clash with AFP soldiers on 6 October. Community residents reported hearing four gunshots and a child crying at around 5:45 in the afternoon on 10 October, near the area where Ka Juaning was staying.
Brig. Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, Commander of the AFP 303rd Infantry Brigade, however claimed that an armed encounter between the NPA and his soldiers took place that day in the area, resulting in the death of Ka Juanito.
On 6 October, the AFP imposed a military lockdown on the population of Carabalan village after state security forces suffered casualties in an armed encounter with the NPA. Community residents were forced to evacuate their homes. Seven farm workers were randomly accused of being NPA combatants, arbitrarily arrested and tortured. They were released after three days when a village official vouched that the seven are civilian farm workers and not NPA
On 7 October, AFP canons fired artillery shells and a helicopter fired 50-caliber guns into areas of Himamaylan City. They hit sugarcane fields, forests and rivers in Carabalan village and surrounding villages. Residents reported that livestock have been killed or stolen.
More than 16,000 persons have been displaced by the AFP military actions and are currently staying in makeshift evacuation centers. They are prevented from leaving the centers. Journalists, on the other hand, are denied access to the area.
The peasant alliance Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas - Negros has called for financial help for the displaced communities.