MANILA, Philippines — Senators yesterday prodded the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies to end what they described as open season for killings and violence against politicians, which they fear may spill over to ordinary Filipinos.
The Senate is expected to adopt today a resolution to be filed by Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, condemning the spate of attacks against local officials and government employees, and urging the PNP and other law enforcement agencies “to undertake the necessary steps in ensuring the safety of all.”
Sen. Grace Poe said the spate of “reprehensible attacks against local officials and civilians must be thwarted.”
“The gangland-style shooting incidents executed in broad daylight are etching fears on our people about how easily lives can be taken, even of people who are in power,” Poe said.
“Authorities must act quick before the next target falls, and to assure our people that the open season for killings will not come upon us,” she said.
She said the PNP and other law enforcement agencies should wield their authority against these criminals who undermine the peace and order in the country.
As of press time, Villanueva’s resolution has been signed by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, and Senators Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, Bato dela Rosa, JV Ejercito, Jinggoy Estrada, Sherwin Gatchalian, Bong Go, Francis Tolentino and Mark Villar.
“The Senate of the Philippines, in the strongest sense, urges the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies to exert all efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice for the sake of all victims and their families,” the resolution stated.
It urged the PNP and other law enforcement agencies to “undertake the necessary steps in ensuring the safety of all to address the rampant violence and killings, including the prompt, impartial, and efficient investigation, and prosecution of cases.”
The resolution noted that in a span of 15 days from Feb. 17 to March 4 this year, four local executives were injured or killed in ambushes, the latest fatality of whom was Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo.
Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. was shot at and wounded in Bukidnon last Feb. 17, which resulted in the deaths of four of his security personnel, including three police officers.
Two days later, Aparri, Cagayan Vice Mayor Rommel Alameda and five other persons travelling with him were killed in a highway ambush in Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya.
Datu Montawal, Maguindanao Mayor Ohto Montawal was injured in an ambush along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City last Feb. 22, sustaining a gunshot wound on his hip and left arm.
Five former local officials were also assassinated in the latter half of 2022, the document stated.
The resolution noted the PNP’s statement that 105,568 crime incidents were recorded from July 2022 to Jan. 7, 2023, with 57,103 in Luzon, 21,421 in Visayas, and 27,044 incidents in Mindanao, with theft, rape and robbery as the most prevalent crimes.
The measure also cited the 2023 Social Weather Stations Survey released last Feb. 7 that was conducted from Dec. 10 to 14, 2022, with 1,200 adult respondents that showed 60 percent are “afraid that robbers might break into their houses” and 50 percent are “afraid to walk the streets at night because it is not safe.”
‘State of emergency’
Sen. Imee Marcos visited the wake of Degamo yesterday and urged her younger brother, President Marcos, to declare a state of emergency in the province to prevent a possible surge in violence, and to speed up the arrest of the mastermind of the assassination.
The senator said the last time she saw Degamo was in November last year during a distribution of aid to distressed families.
She said she worked with Degamo in the League of Provinces when she was governor of Ilocos Norte.
“I’m calling for the declaration of the state of calamity in the entire province of Negros Oriental. We must stop and arrest not only the hitmen, but also the masterminds, their paymasters, and all others who conspired to commit this,” Marcos told reporters in Filipino.
“Let us leave no stone unturned and no culprits unpunished. This cannot go unpunished and the perpetrators of this heinous crime, barbaric as it is and cowardly, should be punished as soon as possible,” she said.
Full force of law
Speaker Martin Romualdez led other members of the House of Representatives in condemning Degamo’s murder along with several of his men over the weekend.
“We shall not stop until we get the perpetrators of this crime. This must stop. Let’s stop all heinous crimes. We shall use the force of the whole government to go after the perpetrators,” the Leyte congressman said in a mix of Filipino and English.
At the same time, Romualdez urged Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos, PNP chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. and the Armed Forces of the Philippines “to get to the bottom of this crime and root out the perpetrators.”
House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan also condemned the brutal daylight slaying.
“A vicious and despicable attack that must not go unpunished. We want bold and swift action to bring the culprits to justice. The certainty of immediate punishment in this case is our best deterrence in the fight against lawless elements,” he said.
Libanan, who represents the 4Ps party-list in the House, offered condolences to the Degamo family and to the kin of the other victims.
“Our hearts go out to the families of the victims,” he said.
Degamo, 56, died from gunshot wounds sustained after being attacked in his home in Barangay San Isidro, Pamplona town Saturday morning while tending to beneficiaries of the government’s 4Ps or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
Five other individuals, reportedly beneficiaries waiting for cash assistance, were also killed in the attack carried out by unidentified men in full combat gear and pixelized uniforms, according to the provincial police office.
Former governor Chavit Singson, now mayor of Narvacan town in Ilocos Sur, also condemned the killing. He sits as president emeritus of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines.
“I condemn the ruthless killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo. This is truly a sad day for all of us. I pray for justice to be served the soonest. To the bereaved family, my sincere condolences. We are with you in this difficult time,” he said.
‘Heartbreaking and senseless’
Meanwhile, Dumaguete Bishop Julito Cortes condemned the “heartbreaking and senseless act of murder” of Degamo and five others, and asked the police and the military to work to bring those accountable to justice.
In a statement dated March 4, Cortes said, “I strongly condemn this heartbreaking and senseless act of murder in Negros Oriental! How can we ever attain lasting peace if this culture of violence continues to torment us? When will this cycle of killings ever stop? We pray, then, that the perpetrators behind this bloodshed will be brought to justice soon.”
To the perpetrators the Bishop sent this message from Isaiah 1:16-17: “To those whose hands are full of blood, heed the words of the Prophet Isiah: “Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before God’s eyes; cease doing evil and learn to do good.”
He also called for justice for the victims of the attack. “I urge all government agencies, national and local, especially the police and the military, to work closely together for the speedy resolution of these cases, and thus, help us attain peace and justice in our island.” – Delon Porcalla, Artemio Dumlao, Evelyn Macairan