DAVAO CITY - A Filipino soldier killed four of his colleagues dawn Saturday inside a military camp in the southern Philippines, officials said, discounting the possibility of Islamic State militant intrusion in the island where they are known to be operating.
The suspect, Private Johmar Villabito, went inside the quarters of his co-soldiers shortly after 1:00 a.m. and shot them using his M-16 armalite rifle while they were sleeping, regional military spokesman Maj. Francisco Garillo Jr. told reporters.
After confirming his targets, Sgt. Rogelio Rojo; Cpl. Bernard Rodrigo; Pfc. Prince Kevin Balaba and Private Joseph Tamayo, were killed, Villabito then proceeded in another room but two alert soldiers shot and killed him, said Garillo Jr. Another soldier, SSgt. Braulio Macalos, was wounded.
“After firing the shots towards the four sleeping soldiers, the suspect was also killed while trying to enter another room inside the camp,” he said.
“We offer our prayers and sincerest condolences and families. In these trying times, we are one with families praying for the repose of their souls. We assure them that all assistance will be facilitated and provided to the families to include the benefits and claims,” he added.
A team was formed to investigate the incident.
“We cannot really determine what transpired and how. We will still find out,” he Garillo Jr. said.
“We assure the public that this is an isolated incident. This will not have any impact in the operations,” the military official said.
Militants under Daulah Islamiyah, the local name of the Islamic State (IS), whose membership comprises fighters from several Filipino militant factions, are known to be active operating in Mindanao.
But the military said the incident has nothing to do with militants' action.
In October last year, a former Abu Sayyaf member who was allowed to work inside a military camp ran amok, killing a soldier and two civilians in the town of Sumisip in Basilan.
In May 2020, a former soldier also killed seven people and wounded two when he indiscriminately shot his neighbors and bystanders in Calbayog City, Samar.
The military camp where the incident happened was among the five locations where the Philippines granted the United States access to military sites as part of their effort to expand their presence in the region.
Cagayan de Oro is a four hours drive to Marawi where a small team of U.S. troops assisted Philippine forces in defeating pro-Islamic State (IS) militants who had seized the city of Marawi in 2017.
While the American troops were restricted from combat operations, they helped their Filipino counterparts gather intelligence that led to victory in the five-month battle where at least 1,200 militants, government forces and civilians were killed. (Jeoffrey Maitem)
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