BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. vowed swift justice for the family of slain Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo, as well as the families of the eight other slain civilians in Saturday’s attack in the province’s Pamplona town.
Marcos condemned the assassination of Degamo. He said the government will not rest until the perpetrators of the “dastardly and heinous crime” are brought to justice.
“We will find you. (S)urrender(ing) now (is) your best option,” he added.
A group of armed men attacked the governor’s house in Barangay San Isidro, Pamplona on Saturday morning.
Degamo sustained multiple gunshot wounds and passed away around 11:41 a.m. while being treated at a hospital, said Police Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Ace Pelare, Police Regional Office 7 (PRO-7) spokesperson.
Pelare also confirmed Degamo received death threats prior to his assassination.
Department of Justice (DOJ) secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla announced a bounty of P5 million to anyone who could arrest or give vital information or evidence that will lead to the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators and masterminds of Degamo’s assassination.
Remulla instructed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to launch a probe.
The violent and senseless manner by which the perpetrators carried out their plan cannot and will not be tolerated, he said.
“Not only did they kill their target, but they killed innocent civilians along the way. There is absolutely no room for such evil in this country,” the DOJ added.
On Saturday night, Negros Oriental vice governor Carlo Jorge Joan Reyes was formally sworn in as new governor by Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary Benhur Abalos.
NEGOCC POLITICIANS CONDEMN DEGAMO MURDER
Politicians in Negros Occidental also condemned the attack.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said he earnestly hopes justice will prevail.
“We need to put a stop to violent crimes such as this,” Lacson said.
People and government officials deserve to live in peace and should be able to live free from fear, he added.
Lacson offered prayers and sympathies to Degamo’s wife, Pamplona mayor Janice Degamo, and family, and the families of the civilians who were killed in the attack.
Bacolod City’s Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez also extended his condolences to the Degamo family. He called for swift justice.
Negros Occidental 3rd District’s Cong. Jose Francisco Benitez conveyed, too, his sympathies and joined the call to bring to justice the assassins.
Degamo was hosting beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) when attacked.
Footages of closed-circuit television cameras show that at around 9:40 a.m., three vehicles arrived and several men wearing military uniforms and in full tactical gear entered the gate of the governor’s house.
A few seconds later the gunmen opened fire at the crowd while another gunman fired at the security tower.
Witnesses also reported that upon seeing Degamo fell down, one of the gunmen rushed to the governor to finish him off.
The gunmen then boarded their getaway vehicles and fled.
According to the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOrPPO), the eight other fatalities were Barangay Fatima captain Florenda Quinikito, Kagawad Jose Marie Ramirez, Jesse Bot-ay, Jerome Maquiling, Jomar Canseco, Crispin Vallega, Joseph Netada, and Michael Fabugias.
Police said 14 others were wounded and being treated in various hospitals in the province’s capital Dumaguete City, while two others have since been discharged after incurring only minor injuries.
NOrPPO and the Philippine Army’s 302nd Infantry Brigade immediately conducted hot pursuit operations against the attackers.
The gunmen’s vehicles were tracked down in Barangay Cansumalig, Bayawan City, Negros Oriental.
At around 4:20 p.m., both the Army and cops from the Special Action Force arrested three of the alleged gunmen in the same village.
They were later identified as 50-year-old Joric Labrado, a former soldier and resident of Cagayan de Oro City; 42-year-old Joven Aber, also an ex-soldier and resident of La Castellana, Negros Occidental; and 45-year-old Benjie Rodriguez of Bonifacio, Misamis Occidental.
Later in the evening, one gunman was killed in a gun battle with the police. As of press time he was yet to be identified.
Early yesterday morning, NOrPPO’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit and soldiers of the Army’s 11th Infantry Battalion discovered the weapons used by the killers.
Among these were five assault rifles, a B40 Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) launcher with five rockets, four bandoliers loaded with plates, a rifle case, two combat uniforms, a gray sweatshirt, and three pairs of combat boots.
Law enforcement in Negros Oriental was still conducting hot pursuit operations against the remaining killers./PN
