BY JOEL CALAMBA ESCOL, Managing Editor
NEGROS ORIENTAL – Congressman Arnie Teves admitted of being tagged by other people as the alleged mastermind into the killing of Governor Roel Degamo.
The slain governor and 8 other civilians were among those who were killed during the attack on March 4, while distributing the 4Ps subsidy inside his residence in Pamplona town, this province.
“Ito ang matagal ko nang kinakatakot na mangyari. Bakit? Expected ko na, na ako na naman ang pagbibintangan,” Teves said in a video posted on Facebook, apparently referring to the killing of Degamo.
Teves also questioned the fast arrest of the alleged suspects several hours after the Governor was gunned down while in the distribution of 4Ps assistance to qualified poor and deserving residents.
“Bakit nakapasok o pinapasok ng ganun lamang ang mga tao na sa aking pag aanalisa ay parang magkakilala sila ng nasa gate. At hindi lang yun, siguro nakapasok na wala man lang resistance,” Teves said.
It can be recalled that the Teves and Degamo family are political rivals during the 2022 national and local elections.
The congressman’s brother, Henry Teves, was Degamo’s top opponent in the 2022 gubernatorial elections in Negros Oriental. After the counting in May 2022, Henry was proclaimed winner by the Comelec but Degamo contested the result, and instead appealed to the Comelec enbanc to declare as nuisance candidate a certain Greco “Ruel Degamo” in which the Comelec did in a resolution declaring as null and void the votes that went Ruel Degamo, and instead added the votes to Roel Degamo – that catapulted Roel Degamo as the rightful owner in the last elections with
Hired assassins
Meanwhile, operatives of the Philippine National Police in this province arrested three of the suspects who killed Governor Roel Degamo inside his residence in Barangay Isidro, Pamplona town.
Police investigators identified the three suspects as Joven Aber, 42; Joric Labrador, 50; and
Benjie Rodriguez, 45 – all former soldiers, reports said. They were arrested by the elements of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) at around 4:25 p.m., roughly about seven hours after the killing of the governor and eight civilians.
The local police operatives seized three identification cards of the suspects, ammos and a .45 caliber pistol. The suspects, authorities reported were cornered in Barangay Cansumalig in Bayawan City.
“The hot pursuit operations are still ongoing with the remaining suspects being pursued by joint elements of the PRO-7 and Philippine Army,” the police official said in his statement sent to the media on Saturday.
CONDEMNED
Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos has condemned the ambush of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo which had caused his untimely demise.
This, as the president of the republic has also vowed to bring justice to the bereaved family of the governor, alongside four of his aides who were also killed by their attackers Saturday at the governor’s residence.
Police investigators said the governor was declared by Comelec as the rightful winner for the province’s gubernatorial seat following a recount proceedings by the Commission on Elections.
His rival, report said, was proclaimed winner right after the counting of ballots in May 2022 national and local elections, but the camp of Degamo reportedly contested the result and requested a recount, which also pave the way for Governor Roel Degamo as the rightful winner in the gubernatorial race.
