2/F Erythrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin cor Matatag Sts.

,
Brgy. Central, Diliman, Quezon City 1100 PHILIPPINES
Voice/Fax: (+632) 435 4146
Email: urgentaction@karapatan.org
www.karapatan.org

Appeal for Action:

Locals who volunteered to help wounded soldiers massacred by soldiers

UA Date

: August 25, 2015

UA Case

: Massacre/Extrajudicial Killing

Victim/s

: Massacre:
Adam Fajardo
- Male, 34 years old
- habal-habal (single motorcycle used as service) driver
Joebert Badillo
Male, 27 years old
- Habal-habal driver
Gary Vistar
- Male, 37 years old
- Habal-habal driver
Rogelio Abelida Jr.
- Male, 26 years old
- Small businessman

Place of Incident

: National Highway, Barangay (village) Del Carmen, Uson, Masbate

Date of Incident

: August 3, 2015

Alleged Perpetrator(s)

Members of 9th Infantry Battalion and 903rd Brigade of the Philippine

Army

Account of the Incident:

At around 4 p.m. of August 3, 2015, members of the Bravo Company of the 9th Infantry Battalion-Philippine
Army (IBPA), 93rd Division Reconnaissance Company, 96th Military Intelligence Command, Regional
Intelligence Unit (RIU) 5 and members of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and
Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) Masbate was ambushed by members of the New Peoples Army at the
National Highway, Brgy. Del Carmen, Uson, Masbate. According to news reports, Sgt. Fernandez Leynes Jr.
was killed, while four other soldiers and an embedded reporter Jet Ramos were wounded.

The ambush happened three kilometres away from Bgy. Del Carmen, where a fellow soldier Lt. Romel
Arnado resides. As soon as Arnado received a call from fellow soldiers who were ambushed, he
immediately sought the help of barangay captain (village chief) Sulpicio Abelida Mahinay to use the
villages patrol car to bring the wounded soldiers to the nearest hospital. Mahinay readily agreed.
Mahinay asked four habal-habal drivers Adam Fajardo, Joebert Badillo, Gary Vistar, and Mahinays
nephew Rogelio Abelida, Jr to help the soldiers.
The habal-habal drivers went ahead to the place of incident. After ten minutes, the barangays patrol car
arrived. Bgy. Capt. Mahinay immediately helped the wounded soldiers to the patrol car while talking to
some of the soldiers.
After some time, three teachers of Del Carmen National High School headed by Mr. Quiles went to the
ambush site to see if it was safe for the students from the school to pass by the highway. Mr. Quiles noticed
that a checkpoint was already set-up and a number of soldiers were resting, eating snacks and smoking
cigarettes. Mr. Quiles asked one of the soldiers if the students going home may pass through, but the
soldier advised him otherwise.
Just before the teachers were about to leave, Rogelio Abelida, Jr. called on Mr. Philip Quiles. Mr. Quiles
noticed Abelida Jr. and his companions were being held by the soldiers and were seated next to each other
at the side of the road. Mr. Quiles informed the soldiers that he knew Abelida and the three habal-habal
drivers and asked if he could bring them back. The soldiers declined saying only the teachers could go
back but the four drivers should stay behind.
Please tell mama that I am here, Abelida Jr. told Mr. Quiles. The teachers then rode on their motorcycles
and went back to school. That was the last time the four were seen alive. Five minutes later, several
gunshots were heard.
It was already around 5:30 p.m. when Bgy. Capt. Mahinay arrived at their village hall. He was surprised to
see so many people, the family and friends of the habal-habal drivers he asked to help the soldiers. He
found out that the four were held by the soldiers and were already dead.
Mahinay immediately rode a motorcycle with Rogelios brother, Mark Abelida, to check on the four. On the
way, they noticed two military trucks moving and were escorted on both sides by soldiers who were on
foot. They decided to follow the trucks. It was then Mark noticed that the truck was loaded with corpses.
Although it was covered, Mark was able to recognize the clothes of his brother Rogelio.
Around 6:45 p.m., the trucks arrived at the towns plaza just beside the barangay hall. The military truck
entered the plaza and the soldiers closed the plaza gates. Even Mahinay, who introduced himself as the
barangay captain, was not allowed inside. It was only around 7:20 p.m., when the police came, that the
gates of the plaza were opened. The village officers and the families of the four immediately went inside.
The soldiers tried to prevent the families to see the bodies but Madel, Gary Vistars wife, insisted. Using a
flashlight, because electricity was cut off at that time, Madel was able to identify her husbands dead body.
She cried out loud. The other families began to see the bodies of their dead kin. They also started to cry
out loud.
Mahinay confronted the soldiers saying the four were his constituents and one of them was his nephew
whom he requested to assist the wounded soldiers. They were NPA, the soldiers just said.
The fours relatives and friends were crying angrily and they shouted at the soldiers. An estimate of 300
residents of barangay Del Carmen gathered at the plaza that night to show their grief and anger.

Adam Fajardo left behind four children from his first marriage and three children, all minors, from his
second marriage. His wife in the second marriage just died, making their children orphans.
Joebert Badillo is a habal-habal driver and sometimes works as a driver for certain soldier Sgt. Ramos.
Gary Vistar left behind three children, all minors. His eldest is eight years old and his youngest is barely
eight months old.
Rogelio supplies chicken and duck eggs to stores in Del Carmen. He was the nephew of Bgy. Capt. Mahinay.
Recommended Action:
Send letters, emails or fax messages to call on the Aquino government to:
1. Immediately conduct an independent investigation with a team composed of representatives from
human rights groups, churches, local government, and the Commission on Human Rights that will
investigate the massacre of Fajardo, Badillo, Vistar, and Abelida;
2. Immediately prosecute soldiers involved in the massacre;
3. Withdraw its counterinsurgency program Oplan Bayanihan, which victimizes innocent and unarmed
civilians;
4. Respect and observe the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and all the major Human Rights
instruments as a signatory to these instruments.
You may send your communications to:
H.E. Benigno C. Aquino III
President of the Republic
Malacaang Palace,
JP Laurel St., San Miguel
Manila Philippines
Voice: (+632) 564 1451 to 80
Fax: (+632) 742-1641 / 929-3968
E-mail: op@president.gov.ph
Sec. Teresita Quintos-Deles
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP)
7th Floor Agustin Building I
Emerald Avenue
Pasig City 1605
Voice:+63 (2) 636 0701 to 066
Fax:+63 (2) 638 2216
stqd.papp@opapp.gov.ph
Ret. Lt. Gen. Voltaire T. Gazmin
Secretary, Department of National Defense
Room 301 DND Building, Camp Emilio Aguinaldo,
E. de los Santos Avenue, Quezon City
Voice:+63(2) 911-6193 / 911-0488 / 982-5600
Fax:+63(2) 982-5600
Email: osnd@philonline.com, dnd.opla@gmail.com

Atty. Leila De Lima

Secretary, Department of Justice
Padre Faura St., Manila
Direct Line 521-1908
Trunkline 523-84-81 loc.211/214
Fax: (+632) 523-9548
Email: lmdelima@doj.gov.ph, lmdelima.doj@gmail.com,lmdelima.doj@gmail.com
Hon. Jose Luis Martin Gascon
Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., UP Complex
Commonwealth Avenue
Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
Voice: (+632) 928-5655, (+632) 926-6188
Fax: (+632) 929 0102
E-mail: comsec@chr.gov.ph
Please send us a copy of your email/mail/fax to the above-named government officials, to our address
below.
URGENT ACTION Prepared by:
KARAPATAN Alliance for the Advancement of Peoples Rights
National Office
2/F Erythrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin cor Matatag Sts., B
rgy. Central, Diliman, Quezon City 1100 PHILIPPINES
Voice/Fax: (+632) 435 4146
Email: urgentaction@karapatan.org
Website: www.karapatan.org