Negros Oriental governor shot dead inside home

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Six men carrying rifles and dressed in military uniforms barged into the residential compound of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, shooting and killing him as he was helping distribute cash assistance to constituents.

His widow, Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo, said the governor was pronounced dead at 11:41 a.m. at a hospital in Dumaguete City or two hours after the incident, which left five others dead.

Three of the suspects were arrested hours later in the nearby Sitio Punong Barangay Cansumalig, Bayawan City, police said.

“Governor Degamo did not deserve that kind of death. He was serving his constituents on a Saturday,” the mayor said in a video posted on Facebook.

She said the other fatalities were constituents waiting for cash assistance.

The Police Regional Office 7 (PRO7) reported there were nine other victims in the shooting incident, which took place in Barangay San Isidro at around 9:50 a.m.

President Marcos condemned what he described as the “assassination” of his political ally and warned the perpetrators to “surrender now, it will be your best option.”

“My government will not rest until we have brought the perpetrators of this dastardly and heinous crime to justice,” Marcos added.

“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,” he added.

The President said the investigation into Degamo’s murder is “developing rapidly.”

“We have received much information and now have a clear direction on how to proceed to bring to justice those behind this killing,” he said.

Before the arrest of the three, police said they were searching for 10 suspects, including the six gunmen, who fled the scene in two SUVs and a pickup truck before abandoning the vehicles in the nearby Barangay Kansumalig in Bayawan City.

“We encourage those who witnessed the incident to give their testimonies and cooperate with the authorities for the immediate arrest of the perpetrators,” the Philippine National Police (PNP) said in a statement.

Brig. Gen. Jerry Bearis, Central Visayas police director, has formed a regional special investigation task group to expedite the probe on the killings.

^{Ex-Army men nabbed}

Joint operations by the PNP Special Action Force and Philippine Army led to the arrest of three suspects at around 4:20 p.m: former Army soldiers Joric Labrador, 50, of Lanuso, Cagayan de Oro; Joben Aber, 42, of Barangay Robles, La Castellana, Negros Occidental and Benjie Rodriguez, 45, of Bonifacio, Misamis Occidental.

Seized from the three were a .45 caliber handgun, a loaded magazine and three identification cards.

Vice President Sara Duterte said authorities must immediately investigate what she called a cowardly and evil act. She said the perpetrators, especially the brains behind it, should be brought to justice immediately.

“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,” she added.

“Authorities must start looking at the political feud that has gripped Negros Oriental and has taken so many lives, not just of Gov. Degamo,” said the Vice President.

“I pray for the soul of Gov. Roel who, more than a political ally, was a dear friend,” she added. “I also pray for the souls of the civilians who also died in the attack.”

The governor took his oath before Marcos last October after the votes for a candidate declared as nuisance by the Commission on Elections were transferred to him.

He replaced Pryde Henry Teves, who was initially proclaimed as the winner in the gubernatorial race.

The Comelec, in a writ of execution, denied the motion for reconsideration filed by candidate Grego Guardia, who used the name “Ruel Degamo” in the ballots.

The electoral body credited Guardia’s more than 49,000 votes to Degamo, which resulted in the latter having a lead of over 29,000 over Teves.

P5 million reward

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has put up a P5-million reward for the positive identification of the suspects in the killings.

“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 absolutely no room for such evil doings in this country,” the DOJ chief said.

He ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which is under the DOJ, to look into the incident.

“The department, together with all the other law enforcement agencies, will not rest until justice is met. The killers as well as the mastermind/s will be uncovered and will be held accountable for the incident,” the DOJ said.

Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos also condemned the killing of Degamo and five others.

“Rest assured we will not stop until we resolve this case and other incidents of ambush in the past days. We will get to the bottom of this,” Abalos said.

He also appealed to witnesses to come forward and help in the investigation.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva called the assassination of Degamo and several others “appalling and infuriating.”

“In the past three weeks, four local government officials have been ambushed, the latest being our friend Governor Roel Degamo of Negros Oriental who was killed in his own home,” Villanueva said. “Even our civilian compatriots are still affected and become victims in these incidents,” he said.

“It is obvious that evil-minded people who want to commit crimes no longer fear the authorities. They are doing the killing, in broad daylight. These murderers have absolutely no conscience and no soul,” said Villanueva.

“If they are not afraid to kill those in power, what about ordinary citizens? What kind of protection does the PNP provide to our local officials and even to our countrymen to prevent such heinous crimes? Let’s not wait for someone to die again before our police act and push it,” he added.

“These acts of violence and lawlessness are a clear display of arrogance against our government. We should never be accustomed to these senseless killings. We call on the PNP to act swiftly and put these criminals behind bars,” he maintained.

His Senate colleague Ramon Revilla Jr. said “heads must roll” in reaction to the latest killing of politicians.

“Do we really have to condemn this repeatedly and remind our law enforcers that this has no place in our society? What are they doing? They must put a stop to lip service and make sure they put an end to this kind of lawlessness,” Revilla said.

Reprehensible

Speaker Martin Romualdez also expressed outrage over the killings. “This act of violence is reprehensible. This is a direct challenge to the authorities,” he said in a statement.

Romualdez noted that the ambush happened shortly after PNP chief General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. assured him during a meeting of the organization’s commitment to stop the killings.

“I hold him to his word. Just like our countrymen, I don’t want to lose trust in our police force,” he maintained.

He said he expects the police to “act with dispatch in arresting those responsible for this dastardly act.”

“Stop lawlessness in the land and restore peace and order in our communities. That is your sworn duty.  Promises are not enough. Actions must be done,” Romualdez added.

Negros Occidental Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez also condemned the killing of Degamo. “Violence has no place in the Negros Island,” he said.

“On behalf of the people of the Third District of Negros Occidental, my family and I convey our deepest sympathies to Mayor Janice and their loved ones, and pray for their strength through these difficult times,” he added.

The League of Governors, for its part, has called on law enforcement agencies to ensure justice for the victims of this “dastardly act.”

“Violence has no place in a civilized society governed by the rule of law. The impunity reared its ugly head yet again when several men in full battle gear shot upon Gov. Roel Degamo of Negros Oriental, killing him and wounding several people,” it said in a statement.

Degamo, 56, is the latest target in the Philippines’ long history of attacks on politicians, and at least the third to be shot since last year’s local elections.

The Supreme Court last month declared him the rightful winner of the contest for the Negros Oriental governorship following a recount that unseated his local rival, who had previously been proclaimed the victor.

Degamo had campaigned for Marcos in his own candidacy for president last year.

On Feb. 19, Aparri, Cagayan vice mayor Rommel Alameda and five others were killed in an ambush in Nueva Vizcaya.

Mamintal Adiong, governor of Lanao del Sur, was shot and wounded also in February in an attack that killed his driver and three police escorts.

Datu Montawal, Maguindanao del Sur mayor Ohto Montawal was wounded in an ambush along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City on Feb. 22. The mayor was in Manila to attend a League of Municipalities of the Philippines general assembly.

In the bloodiest politically motivated ambush on record, the leaders of the Ampatuan clan and about two dozen followers were sentenced to life in prison for a 2009 attack on supporters of a gubernatorial election rival in Maguindanao province.

The attack left 58 people dead, including the politician’s wife and relatives, along with 32 journalists and media workers who were covering the race. – Emmanuel Tupas, Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Janvic Mateo, Alexis Romero, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Sheila Crisostomo, Romina Cabrera