Shortly after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. issued a stern warning to the assassins of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo that they have nowhere to hide, three suspects, including two former Army rangers, were arrested late yesterday afternoon by joint operatives of the Bayawan City Police Station, Philippine Army and Special Action Force.
At about 4:20 p.m. on Saturday, the troops apprehended in Sitio Punong Barangay Cansumalig, suspected assailants Joric Labrador, 50, an ex-army ranger of Cagayan de Oro City; Benjie Rodriguez, 45, from Bonifacio, Misamis Occidental; and Joven Aber, 42, also a former ranger, resident of Barangay Robles, Castellana.
Marcos vowed a swift resolution of the killing of Degamo, the fourth attack on a local official in the past few weeks.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has put up a P5 million reward for information or evidence leading to the prosecution of the perpetrators of the execution-style killing of Degamo and five others.
Remulla said he had instructed the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct an investigation.
In a Facebook post, Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo said her husband was pronounced dead at 11:41 a.m. on Saturday.
Degamo was rushed to the Silliman University Medical Center in Dumaguete City where he succumbed to multiple bullet wounds.
Mayor Degamo said “the governor did not deserve that kind of death.”
Reports said about 10 men in battle gear and carrying automatic rifles got off separate vehicles and barged into the residential compound of the governor where he was in the middle of a meeting with constituents who were beneficiaries of the poverty alleviation “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program”.
Five civilians were also killed in the attack on the governor, most of them his bodyguards, while two policemen were wounded.
The President said the investigation into Degamo’s murder was “developing rapidly,” adding that the government has gathered substantial information against the suspects.
“We have received much information and now have a clear direction on how to proceed to bring to justice those behind this killing,” according to the President.
Recent assassination attempts targeted Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal “Bombit” Alonto-Adiong Jr., Vice Mayor Rommel Alameda of Aparri, Cagayan, and Mayor Ohto Montawal of Tunggol, Datu Montawal, Maguindanao del Sur.
Adiong and Montawal survived the attacks, but Alameda and five others died.
Adiong’s four security personnel, including three policemen, died in the attack on 17 February.
The killing of Degamo happened several months after the Supreme Court upheld the Commission on Elections resolution recognizing him as the winner of the 2022 Negros Oriental gubernatorial race.
A little over three weeks ago, on 14 February, the Supreme Court dismissed the petitions questioning the result of the gubernatorial race between Degamo and Pryde Henry Teves.
The gubernatorial dispute resulted in a standoff at the Negros Oriental provincial capitol in Dumaguete City in October 2022.
“My government will not rest until we have brought the perpetrators of this dastardly and heinous crime to justice,” Marcos posted on Twitter. “I am warning all those involved in this killing: You can run but you cannot hide. We will find you. If you surrender now, it will be your best option.”
Condemnation
Vice President Sara Z. Duterte likewise denounced the killing of her “political ally” and “dear friend.”
Duterte suggested the authorities “start looking at the political feud that has gripped Negros Oriental and has taken so many lives, not just of Gov. Degamo.”
“His death is a tragedy to the province of Negros Oriental, and I am one with the grieving people of the province, his friends, and his family,” Duterte said in a statement. “The authorities must immediately probe this cowardly, evil act and bring the perpetrators to justice to pay for their crime, especially the brains behind it.”
She added: “The attack exposes the extent of desperation, depravity, and thirst for violence of the people who masterminded it as they showed an absolute absence of regard for the lives of the five civilians who were among the fatalities — making it all the more appalling and unforgivable.”
Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., in a statement, said he had ordered the Philippine National Police to conduct a pursuit operation against the assassins.
Police Regional Office in Central Visayas or PRO-7 spokesperson, Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare, said the perpetrators were in full battle gear. They were seen on board two black Montero SUVs.
Remulla added: ”The violent and senseless manner by which the perpetrators carried out their plan cannot and will not be tolerated. Not only did they kill their target but they killed innocent civilians along the way. There is no room for such evil doings in this country.”
ALVIN MURCIA LADE JEAN KABAGANI AND GLEN JACOB JOSE
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