Army officer found dead in quarters

A decorated senior Army officer was found dead in his room in the Army Officers Housing Complex in Taguig City yesterday.

Taguig police chief Superintendent Alfredo Corpus said a neighbor entered the quarters of Col. Roberto Caldeo, 48, after he heard a gunshot at about 8:30 a.m. His body was found lying on a wooden bed with a gunshot wound in the forehead.

Corpus said “very serious personal problems” could have driven Caldeo, a staff officer at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Command and General Staff College, to take his own life.

The police found a .45 caliber revolver, a spent shell, and a suicide note purportedly written by Caldeo in his room. Corpus refused to discuss what was written in the letter.

Police investigators have ruled out robbery since none of Caldeo’s things are missing.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres said the Army will conduct a separate probe into Caldeo’s death.

“The Philippine Army regrets the death of Colonel Caldeo, who is a seasoned Scout Ranger and Special Forces officer and a recipient of various combat awards including the Distinguished Conduct Star, Gold Cross Medal, Wounded Personnel Medal, among others,” he said.

Torres said Caldeo used to serve as commander of the First Scout Ranger Battalion in Mindanao and the 33rd Infantry Battalion in Sulu.

The spokesman said they are also not aware of any personal problems that might have led Caldeo to commit suicide.