Three persons, two of whom are former soldiers, were arrested in pursuit operations by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Army Saturday afternoon in Bayawan City after the ambush on Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo.
Arrested were Joric Labrador, Benjie Rodriguez and Joven Aber.
Recovered from them were a caliber. 45 Springfield pistol, a magazine load of live ammunition and three identification cards, the PNP report said.
Earlier, the PNP Central Visayas Regional Office said three alleged getaway vehicles were found abandoned in Bayawan City.
The PNP there were 10 suspects in the shooting of Degamo and nine other victims in front of his house at Barangay San Isidro, Pamplona.
”Degamo was entertaining 4Ps beneficiaries at the entrance of his residence when suddenly a group of persons wearing pixelized uniform and in full battle gear shot the Governor several times hitting the latter and some civilians,” said the PNP regional office in a report.
Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo, in a Facebook post, said her husband passed away at 11:41 am along with five others whom she did not name.
Degamo’s death came in the midst of recent attacks on local government officials, where one vice mayor of Aparri, Cagayan was killed while a mayor and governor were injured.President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, in his Twitter account, condemned ”in the strongest possible terms the assassination of a sitting governor, Gov. Roel Degamo of Negros Oriental.”
The PNP created Regional Special Investigative Task Group Degamo and its regional office was ordered ”to immediately conduct a regionwide hot pursuit operation to arrest the perpetrators and the mastermind of this treacherous attack.” DMS
