[1][2] After Marcos was ousted in the 1986 People Power Revolution, he was implicated in several coup attempts against President Corazon Aquino but was nevertheless elected to public office as vice governor of Ilocos Norte.
[4] The group was notable for human rights abuses during the martial law era against anti-Marcos dissidents, including extrajudicial killings that were eventually known in Filipino slang as "salvagings".
[2] Abadilla was also accused of involvement in the assassination of Ninoy Aquino in 1983, having been present at the Manila International Airport, where the murder took place, immediately after the event.
[6] During the People Power Revolution in February 1986, Abadilla served as an intermediary of Marcos during negotiations with the rebellion's leaders, defense minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Armed Forces of the Philippines deputy chief of staff Fidel Ramos.
[15] His killing was claimed by the communist Alex Boncayao Brigade,[13] which cited his role in human rights abuses during the martial law era.
[4] Five suspects, who subsequently became known as the "Abadilla 5", were arrested and convicted in 1999, following a controversial legal process that was criticized by Amnesty International for alleged irregularities and usage of torture.