Rodolfo Aguinaldo

Rodolfo Aguinaldo was born in Laoag, Ilocos Norte in 1946. He graduated from the Philippine Military Academy in 1972 and served in the Philippine Constabulary (PC). During this period, he was accused of torturing dissidents during the Martial Law period in the 1970s and 1980s. Among those who positively identified him were Etta Rosales, who later became one of his colleagues in the 11th Congress of the Philippines and Chair of the Commission on Human Rights and Satur Ocampo, future representative of Bayan Muna Partylist. As one of the leading officers involved in the counterinsurgency efforts against the Communist rebellion in the Philippines, he led an operation that led to the capture of Jose Maria Sison, leader of the Communist Party of the Philippines in La Union in 1977. In 1981, Aguinaldo was assigned to Cagayan as assistant provincial PC commander, marking the start of his association with the province.

Aguinaldo later joined the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) that was founded by alumni of the Philippine Military Academy such as Colonel Gringo Honasan, Eduardo Kapunan and Victor Batac in the early 1980s, citing disillusionment with the regime of President Ferdinand Marcos for its handling of the communist rebellion. Aguinaldo was deemed responsible for disclosing the names of 14 key RAM officers to a CIA contact at the U.S. Embassy, which was believed to have contributed to the discovery by Marcos forces of RAM's plot to overthrow the government, which forced the coup plotters to launch their revolt earlier than scheduled. When the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution broke out, Aguinaldo led RAM forces in seizing control of pro-Marcos media outlets in Quezon City, paving the way for the overthrow of Marcos and the assumption of power by his rival, Corazon Aquino. For this, he was promoted to provincial PC commander in Cagayan.

However, Aguinaldo and other RAM members grew disillusioned by the Aquino government's emphasis on opening negotiations with the communists and the release of Sison and other party members and dissidents. As such, Aguinaldo joined attempts by the RAM to overthrow President Aquino, starting in the coup attempt on August 28, 1987 that saw him briefly seize control of the Cagayan Valley regional military headquarters in Tuguegarao, bluntly stating later that another coup attempt would follow if the President "does not make reforms fast".

Aguinaldo was stripped of his command and placed under investigation but resigned with the rank of lieutenant colonel before any significant action could be taken against him. He then ran for Governor of Cagayan in the 1988 local elections, successfully winning on a populist platform against established rivals who were ironically supported by RAM's political patron Juan Ponce Enrile, by a landslide. During this time, he was accused of becoming a provincial warlord who built an independent economic base using revenues from logging, smuggling and gambling as well as defense funds and weapons caches to establish a private army of 1,200 Aeta tribesmen and former New People's Army guerrillas.

On December 1, 1989, RAM under Col. Honasan launched its second attempt to overthrow the Aquino government. Governor Aguinaldo went on the air over DZRH in the morning, declaring support for the coup. Five hundred of his men attempted to reach Manila but were blocked in Nueva Ecija. After the coup failed, Aguinaldo was suspended as governor in January 1990 based on his radio announcement. A week before his attack on the hotel Aguinaldo was indicted on charges of rebellion and murder relating to the failed coup.

In 1993, Aguinaldo availed of an amnesty offered by the government of President Fidel Ramos to RAM members and other coup participants and stayed on as Governor until 1998, when he was elected as representative of Cagayan's 3rd congressional district, serving until his assassination in 2001 by communist rebels in Tuguegarao, shortly after losing his reelection bid.

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