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Rolando Abadilla

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Rolando Abadilla
Abadilla in 1995
Vice Governor of Ilocos Norte
In office
June 30, 1988 – June 30, 1992
Personal details
Born
Rolando Abadilla

1941 or 1942
Espiritu, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
Died (aged 54)
Quezon City, Philippines
Political partyKilusang Bagong Lipunan
OccupationPolitician, military officer
ProfessionMilitary officer
NicknameRolly
Military service
Branch/servicePhilippine Constabulary
Years of service1965–1987
RankColonel
UnitMetroCom Intelligence and Security Group

Rolando “Rolly” Abadilla (died June 13, 1996) was a Filipino politician and Philippine Constabulary (PC) officer best known for heading the PC Metropolitan Command's Intelligence and Security Group under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, which became notorious for numerous documented human rights abuses.[1][2]

After Marcos was ousted in the 1986 People Power Revolution, he was implicated in several coup attempts against President Corazon Aquino but was nevertheless elected to public office as vice governor of Ilocos Norte. He was assassinated in 1996 by the Alex Boncayao Brigade, a communist rebel group.

Early life

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Abadilla was born in Espiritu, now Banna, in Ilocos Norte,[3] to a merchant family. His mother was a distant relative of Ferdinand Marcos.[4]

Military career

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Abadilla graduated from the Philippine Military Academy in 1965 and joined the Philippine Constabulary special forces.[4]

Operation Merdeka

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Abadilla helped train Moro militants as part of a Philippine plot to infiltrate Sabah. He was subsequently accused of involvement in the trainees' murder during the Jabidah massacre in 1968[4] but was acquitted by a court martial.[5]

Metrocom Intelligence and Security Group

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Abadilla later transferred to the PC's Metrocom Intelligence and Security Group (MISG) and became its head in 1974.[4] The group was notable for human rights abuses during the martial law era against anti-Marcos dissidents, including extrajudicial killings that were eventually known in Filipino slang as "salvagings".[3] Among his deputies were Reynaldo Berroya and Panfilo Lacson. Abadilla was noted for being a favorite military official of Marcos.[2]

Presence during the assassination of Ninoy Aquino

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Abadilla was also accused of involvement in the assassination of Ninoy Aquino in 1983, having been present at the Manila International Airport, where the murder took place, immediately after the event.[5] During the trial of military officers involved in Aquino's death, a witness who claimed that a soldier shot Aquino also claimed to have seen Abadilla talking to Rolando Galman, who the Marcos government alleged was Aquino's assassin, before he was killed by soldiers for allegedly killing Aquino. Abadilla denied the charges.[6]

Marcos intermediary during the People Power Revolution

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During the People Power Revolution in February 1986, Abadilla served as an intermediary of Marcos during negotiations with the rebellion's leaders, defense minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Armed Forces of the Philippines deputy chief of staff Fidel Ramos.[3]

Coup attempts against Corazon Aquino

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After Marcos was ousted, Abadilla was involved in plots to topple the government of President Corazon Aquino and restore Marcos to office, including the Siege of the Manila Hotel in July 1986 and the January 1987 Philippine coup attempt.[7] He was arrested for his involvement in the latter coup in July 1987,[3] but was acquitted by a court martial in December 1988.[8]

Political career

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Even though imprisoned in 1987, Abadilla ran for Vice Governor of Ilocos Norte in 1988 as a candidate of Marcos' Kilusang Bagong Lipunan party[3] and won. He supported efforts to repatriate Marcos' remains following his death in Hawaii in 1989.[9] In 1992, he unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Ilocos Norte and lost again in a congressional race in the province in 1995.[10]

Abadilla was also a member of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission headed by Vice President Joseph Estrada during the administration of Fidel Ramos in the early 1990s.[4]

Personal life

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Abadilla was married to Susan Samonte. One of their children, Maria Teresa Abadilla, became a Regional Trial Court judge in Manila.[11] He also owned a trucking company.[3] Several of his relatives continue to dominate politics in Banna, including his brothers Carlito and Jaime and nephew, Carlito II, who were former mayors of the town.[12][13]

Assassination

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Abadilla was assassinated on June 13, 1996 at age of 54, after being shot in the middle of a traffic jam inside his car along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City.[4][14] He was shot 31 times using high-caliber pistols.[15] His killing was claimed by the communist Alex Boncayao Brigade,[13] which cited his role in human rights abuses during the martial law era.[4] Five suspects, who subsequently became known as the "Abadilla 5", were arrested and convicted in 1999, following a controversial legal process that was criticized by Amnesty International for alleged irregularities and usage of torture.[16][17]

Abadilla received a funeral with full military honors.[4]

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Abadilla was portrayed by Ray Ventura in the film Ping Lacson: Super Cop.

References

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  1. ^ "Alfred McCoy, Dark Legacy: Human rights under the Marcos regime". Ateneo de Manila University. September 20, 1999.
  2. ^ a b Brigada Siete - Batas O Bala? (MISG, Philippine Constabulary, Kuratong Baleleng) FULL EPISODE, retrieved 2023-11-23
  3. ^ a b c d e f "REBEL RUNS CAMPAIGN FROM JAIL". Chicago Tribune. 15 January 1988.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h McCoy, Alfred. "Impunity". Closer than Brothers: Manhood at the Philippine Military Academy. Anvil Publishing. p. 330.
  5. ^ a b "Officers speak out on Aquino killing". Christian Science Monitor. 18 November 1983.
  6. ^ "Ex-military officer denies link to Aquino slaying". UPI. 6 January 1988.
  7. ^ "The Final Report of the Fact-Finding Commission: IV: Military Intervention in the Philippines: 1986 – 1987". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. 5 October 1990. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. ^ "Colonel aquitted in coup attempt". UPI. 13 December 1988.
  9. ^ "Supporters march to demand return of Marcos's remains". UPI. 24 October 1989.
  10. ^ The Rolando Abadilla murder inquiry an urgent need for effective investigation of torture.pdf
  11. ^ Torres-Tupas, Tetch (11 November 2020). "Who was Judge Abadilla?". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  12. ^ "Abadilla brod to testify vs nephew". The Philippine Star. 14 April 2007. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  13. ^ a b Mugas, John Michael (2022-05-07). "Abadillas, Ablans, Naluptas of Ilocos Norte: Where are they now?". Rappler. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  14. ^ "PASSAGE - Asiaweek". CNN. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  15. ^ "Former Marcos man ambushed in Manila". UPI. 13 June 1996. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  16. ^ "TIMELINE: Abadilla 5". INQUIRER.net. 2016-09-07. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  17. ^ Brizuela, Maricar B. (2016-09-07). "Abadilla 5 convict dies at hospital". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
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