Task Force Degamo formed to secure Negros, rest of country
MANILA, Philippines — The chief executive has ordered the creation of an inter-agency task force on Negros Island following the killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. inked Administrative Order No. 6 on Monday to create task force "DEGAMO" to "prevent the spread and escalation of violence elsewhere in the Philippines and to preserve peace and order in Negros Island, with due regard to the fundamental civil and political rights of the people."
Gunmen killed Degamo and eight civilians at the provincial governor’s house in Pamplona in Negros Oriental on March 4. The attack also left 17 others injured.
"Similar violent incidents have occured in the past, and at present, threats to safety and security cut across different sectors and affect various stakeholders in Negros Island," the administrative order read.
The task force will be on top of the prevention and investigation of crimes and violence committed on Negros Island. They will also head the campaign against private armed groups and loose firearms.
Who will head TF DEGAMO?
The task force will be chaired by Interior Secretary Eduardo Año. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla and Defense Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr. will be co-chairs of the special task force. The heads of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police and National Bureau of Investigation — or their designated alternates — will be task force commanders.
The task force also has national task force groups for intelligence, law enforcement operations, investigation and legal operations, and strategic communications.
The task force's intelligence arm "shall utilize the Joint AFP-PNP Intelligence Committee mechaniscm composed of AFP and PNP intelligence community with NBI from the national, area-wide, and regional levels."
Other government agencies may also be tapped for help in case it is needed. For example, the Department of Social Welfare and Development was ordered to send relief assistance to the families of those murdered and those who were injured.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health was tapped to help with psychological rehabilitation of those who survived the ordeal.
The shooting happened at the governor’s house while he was distributing aid. — Kaycee Valmonte
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