Four members of a local KMP chapter massacred by elements of the 9th IBPA in Mobo, Masbate

On 7 September 2010, at around 9:00 AM, neighbors Vicente, Richard and Melecio agreed to go hunting in the forested area at the boundary of Brgy. Mapuyo and Brgy. Mabuhay.  Melecio's son, Jonathan, tagged along with them.

After around 12:00 noon, they rested at the house of Eliseo and Rosie Albao.  Rosie and her children were the ones left at home because Eliseo worked as a hired help cutting grass in one of their neighbor's farm.  The four, tired from their hunting, fell asleep right away.  

At around 12:30 PM, an undetermined number of soldiers attached to the 9th IBPA appeared from uphill, passed by Rosie's house and without any explanation, stormed inside and peppered the sleeping farmers with bullets as they were sound asleep.  Richard, wounded from the first volley of gunfire, was able to jump out of the window but was sprayed with bullets by the remaining soldiers outside of the house.  The three died instantly.

Rosie and her children, shocked by the assault ran as fast as they could away from their house.  Eliseo heard the gunfire and saw a massive cloud of smoke from the direction of their house.  He ran quickly home to check and was shocked to see the carnage.  Vicente's genitalia was smashed by the bullets; his abdominal area burst open; his guts spilled to the floor and his hand was almost severed from his arm.   One of Melecio's shoulders was shattered and he bore gunshot wounds in the leg.  Jonathan, who might have been lying on his stomach, had gunshot wounds on his back and on his jaw that pierced through the top of his skull.  Eliseo found Richard’s body outside of the house with his skull smashed from the bullet wounds and his body riddled with bullets.  Eliseo’s family was nowhere to be found.

The soldiers, who left the area after ensuring that the victims were all dead, proceeded to the direction of Brgy. Sta. Maria.  Upon arriving there, they ordered the village officials to retrieve the bodies of four New People's Army (NPA) they allegedly killed in an encounter in Sitio Irong-irong and instructed them to bring the corpses to the Municipal Hall in Mobo.  After which, the soldiers went on their way without even waiting to see if their order was carried out.

The remains of the four victims were brought to Mobo and their relatives went there to claim them.

It was learned that the soldiers went on a rampage as part of their hot pursuit operation when a group of policemen were ambushed by alleged NPA members on 31 May 2010 in Brgy. Marintoc.  The day after the ambush, the soldiers tortured and killed Borromeo Cabilis and Julito Etang in Brgy. Baang (refer to UA No: 2010-06-01).  Since then, the residents of the hinterland barangays of Mobo lived in constant fear.