Rhoel Gallardo, CMF (November 29, 1965 – May 3, 2000) was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Claretian , image = Herb CMF.jpg , image_size = 175px , caption = Coat of arms of the Claretians , abbreviation = CMF , nickname = Claretians , formation = , founders = Anto ...

missionary martyred in

Basilan Basilan, officially the Province of Basilan ( cbk, Provincia de Basilan; yka, Wilayah Basilanin; tsg, Wilaya' sin Basilan; fil, Lalawigan ng Basilan), is an island province of the Philippines located primarily in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Reg ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Early life and education

Gallardo was born in November 29, 1965 in

Olongapo Olongapo, officially the City of Olongapo ( fil, Lungsod ng Olongapo; ilo, Siudad ti Olongapo; xsb, Siyodad nin Olongapo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Located in the province of Zambales ...

Zambales Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales ( fil, Lalawigan ng Zambales; ilo, Probinsia ti Zambales; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Zambales''; xsb, Probinsya nin Zambales), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon re ...

, Philippines. He was the second child among five siblings. In 1988, Gallardo decided to be a priest joining the Claretian Order. He took his first vows the following year and was ordained a priest in 1994.

Ministry

Gallardo's last assignment was at the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of Tumahubong in Sumisip,

. He volunteered to be assigned to that parish.

Kidnapping and death

In March 20, 2000,

Abu Sayyaf Abu Sayyaf (; ar, جماعة أبو سياف; ', ASG), officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, is a Jihadist militant and pirate group that follows the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It is based i ...

militants stormed the Claret School compound in Tumahubong, Basilan. The group burned the school, and abducted people in the area including teachers and students. Gallardo who resides in a mission house inside the complex was among who was captured. The captives were kept in Punoh Mahadji and on May 3, 2000 they were brought out of the site; reportedly being planned to be transferred to

Sulu Sulu (), officially the Province of Sulu (Tausug language, Tausūg: ''Wilāya sin Lupa' Sūg''; tl, Lalawigan ng Sulu), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines in the Sulu Archipelago and part of the Bangsamoro, Bangsamor ...

. At one point, the male and female captives were separated from each other. Gallardo along with three teachers and five students were found dead. Gallardo's body was found to be riddled with three bullet wounds caused by close-range shots, and had his nails removed.

Legacy

The

Claretians , image = Herb CMF.jpg , image_size = 175px , caption = Coat of arms of the Claretians , abbreviation = CMF , nickname = Claretians , formation = , founders = Anto ...

have opened a cause for Gallardo's

beatification Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...

as a

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

of the Catholic Church on May 3, 2021. Among his noted acts was during his kidnapping; he is testified to have protected his co-captives and prevented the rape of women, and gave spiritual support such as praying the

rosary The Rosary (; la, , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), also known as the Dominican Rosary, or simply the Rosary, refers to a set of prayers used primarily in the Catholic Church, and to the physical string of knots or b ...

together with the other captives. He reportedly was asked to denounce his Catholic faith but refused. He is also noted to have fostered Christian-Muslim relations in Basilan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gallardo, Rhoel 1965 births 2000 deaths People from Olongapo Claretians Filipino Servants of God 20th-century venerated Christians 20th-century Filipino Roman Catholic priests Filipino murder victims People murdered in the Philippines Deaths by firearm in the Philippines 20th-century Roman Catholic martyrs