Rodel Batocabe

Rodel Masigan Batocabe (April 25, 1966 – December 22, 2018) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, and member of the Ako Bicol Political Party (AKB). Batocabe served in the House of Representatives of the Philippines for three terms from 2010 until his murder in office on December 22, 2018, at a gift-giving event for senior citizens in the village of Burgos, Daraga municipality, Albay. Batocabe was first elected to House of Representatives of the Philippines in 2010, an office he held until his death

Early life Rodel Masigan Batocabe was born on April 25, 1966 in Daraga, Albay. He was born eldest among three children to parents from a working class background to Justino De Leon Batocabe, a sanitary inspector who worked for the Municipality of Daraga and Natividad Masigan an elementary public school teacher. Natividad, a career public school teacher instilled in him the values of perseverance, hard work and the value of a good education.

Education Rodel Masigan Batocabe completed elementary school at the Legazpi City's Benedictine School St. Agnes Academy, adjacent to his hometown Municipality of Daraga, with the award Best in Social Studies in 1978. He then transferred to Dominican School Aquinas University (Now called University Sto Tomas- Legazpi) for secondary education. Here, Batocabe transformed into a student who pursued academic excellence, he was an active student leader and a consistent scholar graduating class valedictorian in 1982.

After graduating High School Batocabe moved to Quezon City and was enrolled in University of the Philippines Diliman topping the College Scholastic Aptitude Test (CSAT), the National College Entrance Examination and the National Science and Technology Authority Scholarship Examination and even ranked in the top 100 scholars nationwide. Initially, Batocabe would take up engineering as his course even topping the 1982 University of the Philippines Geodetic Engineering Scholarship Examination but despite this he would later shift to take up BS Economics and earn a bachelor's degree with honors in 1986. Through the years, business grew as the firm began to be recognized for specialty in civic works. At the zenith of its operations the firm mostly concentrated on corporate, civil, administrative, transportation and banking laws. Its four lawyers and twelve employees handled sensational high profile and extra-ordinary cases that hugged the headlines in the early and mid-2000s such as the Tradition Homes and Development Corporation, Madlambayan-Dimson Realty and Development Corporation, Cole Energy and Mining Corporation, Philippine Merchant Marine School Inc., RPA Communicate, Inc., Infosoft Solutions, Inc., Anjene Industries, Inc., and A.D. Lawrence's Inc.

Political career

Before Congress In January 2007, two months after Typhoon Reming struck the Bicol Region, Batocabe was elected president of the S.O.S Bicol Foundation Inc., a nongovernmental organization of entrepreneurs and professionals who aimed to help fellow Bicolanos in times of disaster and a precursor to the Ako Bicol Party (AKB). Batocabe spearheaded the relief operations along with his colleagues, even chartered a commercial plane to send relief goods to Legazpi City. Batocabe rejuvenated the role of the private sectors in disaster work that included rescue, retrieval and relief missions. Batocabe also started the Tarabangan Tugang and led its first regional relief program outside Albay province when Mt. Bulusan erupted in July 2007 causing thousands to seek refuge outsides the volcano's danger zone. He also led relief efforts to help Metro Manila cities devastated by Typhoon Ondoy in 2009 bringing with him 30 vehicles of donations and equipment.

2010 Elections The AKB topped the survey ahead of Buhay Hayaan Yumabong and Bayan Muna.

Murder In 2018 Batocabe announced his candidacy for mayor of Daraga for the May 2019 general elections.

On January 3, 2019, police announced that Baldo had ordered the killing of Batocabe. According to the police, Baldo hired six men to kill Batocabe and set up $95,000 in funds to pay for the murder. The plot had allegedly been in the works since August 2018, when Baldo supplied $4,600 to one of the hitmen to purchase guns and motorcycles. Baldo denied the allegations, calling himself "a convenient scapegoat."