Tomas Karingal

Tomas Boniceli Karingal (December 30, 1915 – May 24, 1984) was a Filipino soldier, war hero and police general who became one of the leading commanders of the Philippine Constabulary (PC) in Metro Manila and Chief of the Quezon City Police Department during the martial law regime of President Ferdinand Marcos. He was assassinated in 1984 by the Alex Boncayao Brigade, then the urban-assassination unit of the communist New People's Army.

Early life and career Karingal was born on December 30, 1915 in Pasacao, Camarines Sur. In 1933, he joined the Philippine Constabulary as a regular patrolman. When the Philippine Military Academy was established in Baguio in 1936, Karingal signed up to become part of its pioneer batch but flunked out after only a year. Nevertheless, he remained in the PC and was posted in the Ilocos and Nueva Ecija while engaging in counter-intelligence and other covert operations. In recognition for his work, he was commissioned as a reserve third lieutenant in 1940, only a few months after his classmates' graduation.

Wartime service After the Japanese occupation of Manila in 1942 during World War II, Karingal stayed behind enemy lines to engage in espionage and sabotage missions for the Allies as part of President Quezon's Own Guerrillas. He later returned to his native Bicol and joined a guerrilla unit there until the end of the war. He also led the suppression of other antigovernment demonstrations during the First Quarter Storm in his area.

After Marcos declared martial law in 1972, Karingal became known as one of the most feared military commanders of the dictatorship, gaining a reputation for violently suppressing antigovernment demonstrations. Upon Corazon Aquino's return to the Philippines following the assassination of her husband, Senator Ninoy Aquino in 1983, Karingal received her at the Manila International Airport but was asked by her brother, Peping Cojuangco to leave after she became upset upon seeing him and his uniformed men. He advised them however that he would send plainclothes officers to her home in Quezon City. In January 1984, he deployed riot squads armed with automatic rifles, gas guns and batons to crush a protest march against the Aquino assassination.

Assassination On May 24, 1984, Karingal, by then a brigadier general, was shot and killed by two gunmen while dining with fellow police officers at the Fisher's Reef Restaurant

The Alex Boncayao Brigade, then the urban hit squad of the communist New People's Army, claimed responsibility for Karingal's assassination. In a letter, it called Karingal a "die-hard fascist" who was personally responsible for numerous acts of repression during the dictatorship. It also hinted at military involvement in the killing, expressing its thanks to AFP personnel for "assisting" them in the murder. was renamed in his honor.

Karingal was also the subject of the 1990 Filipino action biopic "Ako ang Batas" -Gen. Tomas Karingal, directed by Francis "Jun" Posadas, produced by Seiko Films and with Eddie Garcia portraying him.