Manila: The Philippine National Police (PNP) has intensified community watch efforts to counter evolving recruitment tactics by communist insurgents following the April 19 clash in Toboso, Negros Occidental that left 19 people dead. PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. stated that authorities are closely tracking shifts in recruitment, particularly among the vulnerable sectors.

According to Philippines News Agency, Gen. Nartatez highlighted that recruitment is increasingly shifting online, with social media as the primary platform. The tactics are now more focused on the youth through ideological narratives and misinformation. He mentioned that recruitment is becoming more subtle, with methods including community immersion and cause-oriented messaging, making it difficult to detect in the early stages.

Nartatez has ordered increased police visibility in the Negros Island Region and other high-risk areas. He emphasized the need for local units to intensify their patrols and strengthen community ties to prevent further recruitment propaganda and loss of lives.

The PNP is also preparing an aggressive information campaign in schools and barangays, in coordination with other government agencies, aimed at exposing recruitment tactics on social media and preventing radicalization. On April 19, an encounter with the 79th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Salamanca resulted in the death of Roger Fabillar, an alleged hitman wanted for four years, and 18 others. The military had linked Fabillar to summary executions of civilians accused of being government informants.