Ronald Baquiran Bae

Background

Ronald Baquiran Bae was born on November 9, 1971. He was a former member of the village council until he ran and lost his bid to be the village chief of Tabon I in 2010. He was also described by some neighbors as a good neighbor and by others as a neighborhood bully who flared up at the slightest provocation.

After the shooting rampage, authorities pulled up records of the 41-year-old gunman. He turned out to be the son of Rodolfo Bae, a former police chief of Imus City, Cavite. Questions about his character and motive remained.

Bae was married to Maria Elena Bae, also referred to as Elena Aguilar Bae, and they lived together for 13 years. Maria Elena Bae was 36 and she was from Lubao, Pampanga. Bae married her in 2008 and the couple had five children, with the eldest being 12 and the youngest, 3. Bae also had two other children from his first marriage. Bae’s mother was Tomasa. Bae and Elena had fights and he sometimes hit her, and Elena said he never aimed his gun at her. Elena said Bae started using drugs again, despite her and Tomasa both denying that Bae traded in shabu; Elena admitted that he had used the illegal drug.

Elena described Bae as acting strangely at times, including talking to himself, sometimes with his eyes rolling upward, and once talking to a wall in their house and saying things like “I am the devil.” She also said he saw shadows peering at him. Elena described a big fight on December 30, saying that Lopez came to visit them in Pampanga and that Bae and Lopez drank heavily and used drugs. Elena said she was jealous of John Paul and that Lopez and Bae were drinking and using drugs. Elena said Bae started hitting her on the head and when it looked like he was about to draw his gun, she collected their children and barricaded themselves in a room until Bae and Lopez left. Elena said it was “as if he had been possessed, as if he had become a demon.”

It was reported that Bae had been on the police’s watch list for illegal drugs. Records from the regional Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency showed that Bae faced charges for possession of illegal drugs in March 2010. When authorities raided Bae’s residence shortly after the shooting, they recovered 3.3 grams of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) and found a .45 caliber pistol, an AK47, and an M16 rifle. Police investigators were described as being unsure of his background regarding wealth and influence and they said they had yet to uncover the gunman’s background.

Licenses were said to have been granted for several high-caliber firearms. Senior Supt. Alexander Rafael said Bae had licenses for a .45-caliber pistol and for two assault rifles—an M-16 and an AK-47. Investigators said they remained unclear why or how Bae was issued the weapons.

Bae bred game cocks and had a farm in Noveleta, Cavite, and he also owned a small poultry farm right across his house in Tabon I. He also had a rest house in Tagaytay City, Cavite. Elena said they earned a living buying and selling used cars and breeding game cocks, while Ronald’s mother Tomasa said her son made profit from buying and selling cars. Police investigators said they were still making thorough checks into his background and did not have clear answers at the time.

Bae and his family reportedly changed residences multiple times. They first lived at 2847 Tanib Tabon 1 in Kawit, Cavite, and neighbors said they left the community around 2010 and resettled somewhere in Tagaytay, then moved to a new home in Guagua, Pampanga. A female neighbor in Guagua said:

"Basta nakabili sila ng lupa dito tapos nagpagawa ng bahay,"
"Tapos sabi ng mga bata, yung mga anak nya, galing daw silang Tagaytay. Pinagbili daw yung bahay nila doon. Tapos meron pa daw silang bahay sa Cavite [All I know is they bought land here and had a house built. The kids - their children - said they came from Tagaytay. They said they sold the house there. But they said they still have a house in Cavite]."

Bae’s family’s frequent change of residence was described as remaining unknown.

It was reported that Bae learned he was adopted around September 4. Lopez said Bae learned around September 4 that he was an adopted child and that he wanted to find his real father. Elena said Bae only started taking drugs when he started having problems with his family. At one point, Elena said Ronald kept saying he was so tired, making her think that he was on the brink of suicide.

The offence

The shooting rampage occurred in barangay Tabon 1 in Kawit, Philippines on January 4, 2013. The shooting began just after 9 a.m.

Bae, together with John Paul Lopez, entered a store and asked the three Caimol children, including his godchild Ken Cedric Caimol, for a man named Berto. When they replied that Berto was not there, Bae drew a .45-caliber Colt 1911 and shot at the children. He killed 7-year-old Michaella and seriously wounded her brother and sister.

Bae and Lopez left the store and, while running through the street, Bae fired at anyone in his path, while Lopez would reload his pistol when he ran out of bullets. Bae first killed Alberto Fernandez and his dog, who were standing at the porch.

Bae then shot and killed Rhea de Vera with a shot in the stomach while she was pregnant. Bae also killed her 3-year-old daughter, John Monica. Another person killed during the rampage was taho vendor Al Dorio, while his brother Antonio was wounded with a shot in the back.

Bae returned to his home after the shootings, where soon police arrived. Police asked him to surrender and Bae started shooting at police until he was eventually killed when officers returned fire. Overall, the shooting had lasted for about 30 minutes.

Investigation

After Lopez hinted to investigators that Bae had already killed other people in previous years and buried their bodies around his house, police searched the area and unearthed skeletal remains of a human being.

Cavite CIDG chief Chief Inspector Reynaldo Magdaluyo said Lopez led them to the shallow grave and told police that the skeletal remains belonged to Teodulo Villanueva, a former helper of Bae. Lopez said Villanueva was last seen alive with Bae in 2004. Villanueva and Bae were described as allegedly fighting over illegal drug dealings. Police were also checking possible drug links.

Forensic experts and investigators from the Cavite Police Provincial Office led by Chief Inspector Reynaldo Magdaluyo were accompanied by John Paul Lopez to the grave site in Tabon 1 in Kawit, Cavite, near the house of Bae. Lopez said the skeletons belonged to Villanueva, who was alleged to have been killed in 2003 for duping him in connection with his fighting cocks.

Lopez told police he was not part of the crime. He earlier told police that Bae, who was killed by policemen during his shooting rampage, had buried around his house the bodies of other people he had murdered in the past years.

An identification card kept by the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Cavite identified Villanueva as a Japanese cuisine cook at the Manila Polo Club. Villanueva had been on the police list of missing persons since 2003. Magdaluyo said the bones appeared to be human but needed analysis by forensic experts. The bones were to be sent to the Crime Laboratory at Camp Crame for analysis and identification.

Arrest

After the shooting, Lopez disappeared. A reward of 100,000P was offered for information that would lead to his arrest.

Lopez eventually surrendered himself to police and was taken into custody. It was reported that he was turned over to authorities by his relatives on the evening of January 4 and was arrested Friday evening.

In an interview at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) headquarters in Imus City, Lopez claimed he acted under duress because Bae threatened to kill him if he did not reload the gun for him. Lopez said the gunman did not fire his gun down to the last bullet but “kept one bullet and threatened to use it on me.”

The authorities did not accept Lopez’s account and charged Lopez with multiple murder and frustrated murder for his “willful” participation in the crime. Lopez was being held without bail as an accomplice of Bae in the mass killing.

Trial

No trial details were included.

Sentencing

No sentencing details were included.

Appeals

No appeal details were included.

Outcome

Bae was shot and killed by police the same day.

It was reported that another person named Adoracion Cabrera was also reported killed by the Cavite provincial government.

Victims reported killed during the rampage included:

• Michaella Andrea Caimol, 7
• Rhea de Vera y Alberto, 34, pregnant
• John Monica de Vera, 3, daughter of Rhea de Vera
• Alberto Fernandez y Jaminal, 55
• Irene Funelas, 40
• Al Dorio, 20
• Boyet Toledo, 44

Additional victims reported wounded included:

• Baby Anolacion, 33
• Emelinda Aquepel y De Vella, 41
• Enrique Aquipel
• Cheveri Jaminal Ayson
• Jemerlen Ayson, 46
• Dovie Cabrera y Magsino, 66
• Ken Cedric Caimol, 3
• Michelle Caimol, 2
• Ricky Diola Dumip-ig, 17
• Antonio Dorio, 15
• Maricel Pajal, 27
• Raul Ravelo, 73
• Kevin Magarago Vallada, 6

Other details described the wounded children:

• Two younger siblings of Michaella survived and were in critical condition at a hospital.

It was reported that Bae first shot a dog at a neighbor’s house before shooting Alberto Fernandez, who looked out from the veranda. Witness Willy Salvador said:

"Bae then walked away casually, without any word or facial expression,"

Witness Arvin Aquitel said:

“There was no screaming. We locked all doors and windows as soon as we heard the gunfire from the other street. (The entire street) turned into a ghost town,” recounted resident Arvin Aquitel.

Deputy provincial police director Senior Supt. Dionisio Borromeo said the blue 1998 model Mitsubishi Lancer driven by Bae and Lopez was recovered two days after the mass shooting and was abandoned across a shopping center in Barangay Tabuan I in Silang. Its doors were locked but its rear windshield had been smashed.

Witnesses described Bae’s face and the assistance provided by Lopez:

• Bae’s face looked blank as he shot at victims with a .45 caliber gun.
• Lopez helped reload the weapon whenever it ran out of bullets.

Lopez was seen reloading the gunman’s weapon and police investigator Arnulfo Lopez said residents heard Bae threatening to kill the caretaker if he did not reload the gunman’s pistol during the shooting.

Aftermath

Bae was laid to rest in simple and private funeral rites at the Angelus Eternal Garden in his father’s hometown in Imus City.

Elena said after the shooting that her children were too young to understand what happened but somehow knew because they heard about it in the news. Elena apologized to his victims:

"I apologize to his victims. Nakakahiya sa mga napatay niya. Sana hindi sila magagalit sa amin (I hope they won’t take it against us),"

In a briefing in Malacañang on Friday, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Palace condemned the attack, stating:

“As of the moment, what we can say is that this incident will certainly fuel the efforts of the PNP (Philippine National Police) into its drive against loose firearms,”

Malacañang condemned the shooting rampage, noting that the carnage would fuel the government’s efforts to clamp down on loose firearms. Police estimated there were about half a million firearms that were either unlicensed or had expired licenses around the country. The Cavite Provincial Government vowed to shoulder the funeral expenses of the victims.

On January 17, the CIDG recovered human remains from Bae’s poultry farm in Kawit, with Chief Inspector Reynaldo Magdaluyo stating that Lopez led investigators to the shallow grave.

The shooting has been compared with the December 17 murder of 20 school children at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

The Cavite incident happened shortly after the death of 7-year-old Stephanie Nicole Ella from celebratory gunfire on New Year’s Eve, prompting President Aquino to order a crackdown on unlicensed firearms. In Cavite alone, according to police records, there were at least 7,700 unlicensed firearms, among them Bae’s gun.

Neighbors described Bae in different ways through statements by residents who requested not to be identified:

"We didn't see anything bad about him. He's nice to talk to."
"He's a nice guy. He has no quarrels with anyone here."
"He's a good guy. He helps us when we have nothing to eat. He gives us something."
"Nice, generous, helpful. He had everything. I don't know what happened to him."

It was reported that Bae left his Kawit neighborhood about a year before returning Monday due to a “marital problem” with his wife, whom he had left in northern Pampanga province before New Year's. It was also reported that Bae and several friends were on a “drug and alcohol binge” from Monday to Friday, drinking alcohol and taking methamphetamine. Bae left a store where he and his friends were drinking but later returned with his caretaker and began the shooting spree.

Elena and Lopez also described family and drug-use context. It was stated that contrary to reports of a rift with his wife, his drug use was due to the discovery that he was adopted.

The mystery about Bae’s personal story and motive was described as remaining unsolved.

Timeline

• January 4, 2013 — The shooting rampage began just after 9 a.m. in barangay Tabon 1, Kawit, Philippines; Bae was shot and killed by police the same day.
• January 4, 2013 (evening) — John Paul Lopez was turned over to authorities by his relatives.
• Two days after the mass shooting — Police recovered a blue 1998 model Mitsubishi Lancer that Bae and Lopez drove; it had been abandoned with locked doors and a smashed rear windshield.
• January 16, 2013 — Skeletal remains believed to be human were exhumed in Cavite at the grave site near Bae’s house in Tabon 1, Kawit, Cavite.
• January 17, 2013 — CIDG recovered human remains from Bae’s poultry farm in Kawit.

Other details

Bae’s rampage was described as an intoxicated man fatally shooting eight people, including a pregnant woman and a seven-year-old girl, before he was shot dead by police. Another report described him killing at least seven people and wounding twelve others.

During the rampage, it was reported that the pregnant woman’s six-month-old fetus also died.

Television reports described a frantic call from the pregnant woman to her mother, Baby Alberto, who heard screams and gunshots. The report quoted the victim’s plea:

“Please, don't! Please don't!”

The same report said the victim was found dead in the bathroom hugging her three-year-old daughter, who also died. Edwin Lacorte, an uncle of the three children who were shot, said:

"I could not do anything,"
"I could hear them screaming and I heard the shots."

Lacorte said he later saw bullet-riddled cushions that the children had apparently used to protect themselves and said:

"It must have been the eldest who covered them with the cushions,"

Witness Lacorte said he fled with his wife and their children and that the gunman was shooting at them as they ran through the muddy former fishpond behind their house. It was reported that Malacañang condemned the attack.

Dionisio Borromeo said the car had been abandoned across a shopping center in Barangay Tabuan I in Silang and that the doors were locked but the rear windshield had been smashed.

Police governor Jonvic Remulla blamed the rampage on the police’s failure to act on villagers’ report that Bae had been indiscriminately firing his gun days before the mass shooting, and Cavite police director Sr. Supt. Alexander Rafael confirmed that Bae had been on the police’s watch list for illegal drugs. The Kawit police denied receiving any prior complaint.

Chief Supt. James Menad, PNP Region 4A director, said:

“We can't say anything about that as of now. That's why we're going make a thorough check,”