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

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...

. Known as the "Little Claret" owing to his small size and saintly manner, he joined the

Claretians The Claretians, officially named the Congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (; abbreviated CMF), is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men headquartered in Rome. It was f ...

in 1988 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1994. He was eventually

martyred A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' 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 external party. In colloquial ...

Basilan Basilan, officially the Province of Basilan (; ; ; ), is an island province of the Philippines located primarily in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. Basilan Island is the largest and northernmost of the major islands of the Sulu Archipelago ...

in 2000 by the

Abu Sayyaf Abu Sayyaf (; , ASG), officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, was a Jihadist militant and piracy, pirate group that followed the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It was based in and around Jolo and B ...

group. His cause for

beatification Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "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 name. ''Beati'' is the p ...

was opened in 2021.

Early life

Gallardo was born on November 29, 1965, in

Olongapo Olongapo (), officially the City of Olongapo (; ; ; Kapampangan: ''Lakanbalen/Ciudad ning Olongapo''), is a highly urbanized city in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 260,317 peo ...

Zambales Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales (; ; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is Iba, Zambales, Iba, which is located in t ...

, Philippines, to Dominador Gallardo and Raquel Dayap. He was the second child among five siblings.

Ministry

In 1988, Gallardo joined the Claretian Order, and took his first vows on May 1, 1989, in Isabela,

. After completing his first pastoral year in the town of

Maluso Maluso, officially the Municipality of Maluso ( Tausūg: ''Dai'rah Lupah Maluso''; Chavacano: ''Municipalidad de Maluso''; ), is a municipality in the province of Basilan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 45,730 ...

in the same province, he recounted his experience in his application for his perpetual profession: After professing his perpetual vows in 1993, Gallardo was ordained to the priesthood on December 6, 1994, at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish Church in

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

. Gallardo's last assignment was at the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

of Saint

Vincent Ferrer Vincent Ferrer, Dominican Order, OP ( ; ; ; ; ; ; 23 January 1350 – 5 April 1419) was a Kingdom of Valencia, Valencian Dominican Order, Dominican friar who gained acclaim as a preacher, missionary and logician. After supporting Antipope Benedic ...

in Barangay Tumahubong,

Sumisip Sumisip, officially the Municipality of Sumisip ( Yakan: ''Bulak Sumisip''; Chavacano: ''Municipalidad de Sumisip''; ), is a municipality in the province of Basilan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 47,345 people. ...

, Basilan. He volunteered to be assigned to that parish after its priest fell ill in June 1999. He also served as the director of the Claret School of Tumahubong.

Kidnapping and death

On March 20, 2000,

militants stormed the Claret School of Tumahubong. 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 those who were 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: ''Wilaya' sin Lupa' Sūg''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines in the Sulu Archipelago. It was part of the Bangsamoro, Bangsamoro Autonomous R ...

. At one point, the male and female captives were separated from each other. Gallardo along with three teachers and five students were found dead. His body was found to be riddled with three bullet wounds caused by close-range shots, and had his nails removed. Gallardo's remains were brought to Zambales on May 7. He was then buried on May 10 at Himlayang Pilipino in Quezon City.

Cause for beatification

Five years after Gallardo's martyrdom, a group of former Claretian seminarians pushed for his beatification. On May 3, 2021, Bishop Leo Dalmao of the Territorial Prelature of Isabela opened the diocesan process for the cause of Gallardo's beatification ("by way of martyrdom"). According to Elias Ayuban, then-

provincial superior A provincial superior is an officer of a religious institute (including religious orders) acting under the institute's Superior General. A provincial superior exercises general supervision over all the members of that institute in a territorial ...

of Filipino Claretians, Gallardo was asked to denounce his Catholic faith but refused. 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 (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as the ...

together with the other captives. He is also noted to have fostered Christian-Muslim relations in Basilan. On November 20, 2021, the Claretian Province in the Philippines was renamed in honor of Gallardo.

In popular culture

Gallardo was portrayed by McCoy de Leon in the 2025 film '' In Thy Name''.

References