By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – On the morning of March 4, 2023, residents of Negros Oriental needing assistance gathered at the residential compound of Governor Roel Ragay Degamo in Pamplona town.
Degamo himself met with his constituents. Moments later, a group of armed men arrived and fired automatic rifles at them, leaving the governor and eight others dead.
The violent attack on the highest official of the province shocked not only the people of Negros Oriental but also the rest of Negros Island and even the entire country.
But the assassination of Degamo could have been the culmination of the series of murder incidents, many remaining unsolved, in Negros Oriental in recent years.
Whether politically-motivated or insurgency-related, these killings have undeniably disturbed the peace in Negros Oriental.
Politically-motivated
The slain governor’s wife, Pamplona town Mayor Janice Degamo, continued to call for justice for her husband and the other victims, as she believed that the death of her husband was politically-motivated.
She said that Governor Degamo had threats prior to the attack, but their family did not take it seriously until the deadly gun attack happened.
Previous incidents could be part of the assassination plot against the governor, she added.
The Philippine National Police has also confirmed the threats on the governor based on the records, thus his security had been heightened.
“When you look at Negros Oriental from an honest perspective, this is a very peaceful community, except that there are people in power who seem to always stir the peace and order,” Mayor Degamo said.
TEVES FAMILY LINKED
Third district Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr., has been tagged as the alleged mastermind in Degamo’s killing, after one of the arrested suspects made some revelations allegedly linking him to the incident.
Teves has denied any link in the said incident, claiming that some personalities just want to pin the blame on him.
Teves left for the United States in late February 2023 for medical reasons, and was advised by Congress to return home after his travel authority expired on March 9.
He asked for a two-month leave of absence, citing a “grave security threat” to his life and his family, following the issue linking him to the Pamplona incident.
During a hearing, the House of Representatives sanctioned him a 60-day suspension for his “disorderly behavior.”
Aside from the Congress and the Department of Justice (DOJ), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has also urged Teves to return to the country to face the allegations against him.
POLITICAL LIFE AND DEATH OF DEGAMO
Degamo was assassinated barely five months after he assumed the gubernatorial post in October last year when the Commission on Elections (Comelec) credited to him the votes of a nuisance candidate “Ruel Degamo.”
He unseated Rep. Teves’s brother, former Bayawan City Mayor Pryde Henry Teves, who vacated the province’s Capitol building in Dumaguete City after a weeklong standoff. A peaceful transfer of leadership then happened.
Degamo entered politics in 1998 after he was elected councilor in Siaton town, and served in the same position until 2007.
Three years later, he was elected as a provincial member, garnering the highest votes in the third legislative district.
Later on, he assumed the vice gubernatorial post after then Vice Governor Agustin Perdices succeeded former Governor Emilio Macias II, who died of liver cancer in June 2010.
The following year, Degamo eventually became governor in January after Perdices also passed away.
After completing the terms of Macias and Perdices, Degamo ran for governor in 2013 and won all four of his gubernatorial bids in 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2022. His wife, Janice, is also the mayor of Pamplona town.
Before Degamo, the political families that once lead the province were the Macias, Perdices, and Teves clans. The Teveses up to now still dominate some parts of the province.
After Degamo’s death, his running mate Vice Governor Carlo Jorge Joan Reyes assumed the slain governor’s vacated post. Reyes was a former mayor of Guihulngan City.
Board Member Manuel Sagarbarria Jr., son of second district Rep. Manuel Sagarbarria, took over as vice governor.
KILLINGS ACROSS NEGOR
In 2022, an intelligence policeman was ambushed in Bayawan City in August, a councilman in Vallehermoso town was slain by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in October, a lawmaker’s driver was gunned down in Sta. Catalina town in November, and three farmers were killed in Zamboanguita town in December.
There were more incidents in November 2022, where in a span of three days, six persons were killed, among them a Special Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary trooper, and a poll candidate who lost in the last elections.
These happened in Bacong town, Bais City, Manjuyod town, and Bayawan City, where one died in each area, and Siaton town, where two people were killed.
But the local police said these incidents were not considered alarming as these were not related to each other.
In January 2023, a councilman was also killed by NPA rebels in Vallehermoso town.
The following month, a brother of a local chief executive, and two suspects linked to the former’s murder were shot dead in Valencia town.
A policeman and a jail officer were also killed in Bayawan while a former para-military trooper was gunned down in Ayungon town in the same month.
Although overall crime volume decreased by 21 percent from January to October 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, the previous year saw 77 murder cases and 28 homicide cases.
INSURGENCY-RELATED
Major Cenon Pancito III, spokesperson of Joint Task Force Negros (JTFN), said the killings allegedly perpetrated by the NPA are not behaviors of a strong front of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA.
“These are behaviors of desperate fronts, especially those that dwindled, to somehow make drastic moves for them to be relevant in the society to be able to continue what they’re doing and regain their capability,” he added.
Pancito said that sometimes, rebel groups make moves that will create fear and terror among the people to send a message that they are still existing.
Thus, they pulled out the 47th Infantry Battalion (IB) from Bohol to reinforce the military troopers in Negros Island to minimize the atrocities.
Pancito said that there is a drop in the overall strength of the CPP-NPA in Negros. In fact, he said that there are only remnants, who are tasked to recruit and make their strength bigger to be considered as a front.
He said the Army won’t allow it to happen, adding that they are making efforts to really be prepared in combat, and to protect the vulnerable sectors of society.
The CPP-NPA concentration is the central part of the province, covering Guihulngan City, and parts of Mabinay, as well as the cities of Kabankalan and Himamaylan on the Occidental side.
“They still exist in those areas. There’s still in a fighting stance, but the 47th IB will establish a solid approach against insurgency,” Pancito added.
He said the situation is not that alarming in the island, but they are not complacent.
POLICE, MILITARY ON VIOLENCE
Lieutenant Colonel Kym Lopez, public information officer of Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (Norppo), said there was no failure of law enforcement, despite the recent violence against the highest official in the province.
He, however, did not elaborate.
For his part, Pancito said there is a high level of violence in the province, but it has not been openly talked about, citing the killings of some politicians, lawyers, and even some members of the media.
“Mayroon. Madami-dami na rin. it just so happened that nobody stood up, nobody questioned, and nobody dares to talk about those violence kasi alam nila hindi na-seserve ang justice,” Pancito said.
Since they are involved in the joint task force because of the recent incident, Pancito said they have to make sure that they can put justice to this.
“Otherwise it’s now or never. Kasi baka tuluyan na talagang mawala ang tiwala ng tao sa government,” he added.
“Kung hindi ito ma-solve, ang impression is kung namatay nga si Gov (Degamo), paano pa kami na ordinaryong tao. The more na hindi pag-uusapan iyong violence sa Negros Oriental,” Pancito said.
Pancito said that he sees this as an opportune time to let the people believe that there is still justice.
“Kaya iyong efforts natin is hindi masanay ang mga tao na may culture of violence. It’s about time,” he added.
PRAYER AND UNITY FOR PEACE
In his homily at Degamo’s funeral mass, Dumaguete Bishop Julito Cortes said “something good for the province came out of the late governor’s death,” as this signified the unity of the people of Negros Oriental in fighting the culture of violence and impunity.
“We pray that the cycle of violence and unsolved killings in Negros Oriental will end,” he added.
