The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) vowed Monday, Feb. 13, to improve its programs that will cater to the mental health of the soldiers.
Col. Medel Aguilar, AFP spokesperson, said this in connection with the shooting spree inside the headquarters of the Philippine Army’s (PA) 4th Infantry Division at Camp Evangelista in Cagayan de Oro City last Saturday, Feb. 11. Five soldiers died in the incident while one was hurt.
“The Army is handling the case because it is discipline and law and order function. We wait for the investigation so this incident will not happen again,” Aguilar said.
According to reports, the Army considers some “gaps” in the recruitment and training processes of the soldiers as one of the possible motives behind the shooting.
“We are always conducting review in our policies to make sure that these policies are attuned to the times,” Aguilar stated.
The 4ID identified the shooter as Private Johmar Villabito, of the Service Support Battalion (SSBn).
Villabito opened fire at his sleeping colleagues at their barracks around 1:10 a.m. last Saturday, killing Sgt. Rogelio Rojo Jr., Corporal Bernard Rodrigo, Private First Class Prince Kevin Balaba, and Private Joseph Tamayo.
He then went to another barracks to fire some more shots but two soldiers wrestled for his gun, a government-issued M16 rifle, until it fired and hit the suspect. Villabito also died.
Meanwhile, Staff Sergeant Braulio Macalos Jr. was wounded in the incident. He is in stable condition, according to 4ID.
The Army has created a board of inquiry (BOI) to determine the specific motive that triggered Villabito to kill his colleagues.