Soldier kills 4 comrades before being shot dead at Army camp
An Army private opened fire on his comrades as they slept in their quarters at Camp Evangelista in Cagayan de Oro City, killing four and wounding another, before being shot dead by a fellow soldier early Saturday, a military spokesperson said.
An investigation has been launched by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in coordination with the Cagayan de Oro police on the bloodbath at the camp that hosts the Philippine Army’s 4th Infantry Division (4ID).
According to Maj. Francisco Garello Jr., spokesperson for the 4ID, the shooting happened past 1 a.m. at the compound of the Service Support Battalion (SSBn), where Pvt. Johmar Villabito allegedly went “am0k” with his M16 rifle for reasons still unknown.
Five rooms
Based on a report from the 4ID, Villabito fired on his fellow SSBn members as they slept in their respective rooms.
Killed on the spot were Sgt. Rogelio Rojo Jr., Cpl. Bernard Rodrigo, Pfc. Prince Kevin Balaba and Pvt. Joseph Tamayo.
Staff Sgt. Braulio Macalos Jr. was wounded and later declared out of danger after receiving treatment at the camp hospital.
According to Garello, Villabito went to another room where two other soldiers, already alerted by the gunshots, “managed to neutralize the suspect.” The two soldiers grappled for Villabito’s firearm and one of them shot him “in-self defense.”
A police report identified the soldier who shot Villabito dead as Pvt. Mark Anthony Aguined.
Garello said Villabito went to a total of five rooms and that one of the slain soldiers was his roommate.
“In these trying times, we are one with families praying for the repose of [the victims’] souls. We assure them that all assistance will be facilitated and provided to the families, including benefits and claims,” Garello said. “We assure the public that this is an isolated incident. This will not have any impact on the operations of SSBn.”
‘Gaps in recruitment’
“An internal probe will look into all angles that triggered the incident,” he said.
Condoling with the victims’ families, the AFP called the incident an “unnecessary loss of lives among our soldiers.”
The Army spokesperson, Col. Xerxes Trinidad, said that aside from conducting an internal investigation, the Army would also identify “gaps in our recruitment and training process in order to prevent similar incidents in the future.”
PTSD
Also known as the “Diamond Division,” the 4ID is the main unit tasked with counterinsurgency operations in Northern Mindanao and Caraga regions. It was the previous command of the current Army chief, Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.
During his visit to Camp Evangelista on Feb. 3 to mark the division’s 53rd founding anniversary, Brawner expressed concern over the rising cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among soldiers who had survived brutal combat.
An Army unit of psychologists is being set up, he said, to help soldiers showing signs of PTSD.
In June 2020, the Army took a major step in addressing this concern with the opening of a Mental Health Resiliency Center at its headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
