4 to 5 more Degamo slay suspects being hunted – PNP
Credit to Author: Emmanuel Tupas| Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0800
MANILA, Philippines — Police are hunting for four to five more suspects in the brazen shooting that killed Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo and eight others at his residence in Pamplona town last March 4.
Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesman of Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) Degamo, said they believe the other assailants are still hiding in Negros Oriental.
“We believe they’re still here because
immediately after the incident, we were able to block the exit points,” Pelaro, speaking partly in Filipino, told dzBB radio yesterday.
He said these targets of SITG Degamo do not include the mastermind and other facilitators in the assassination of the governor.Firearms seized
Still in the province, police raided houses belonging to Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr.’s family and seized a cache of high-powered firearms, explosives and ammunition.
Armed with search warrants, the Philippine National Police (PNP)’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) operatives seized a total of 10 short firearms, six rifles, three grenades, 465 bullets, 194 bullet casings and 22 assorted firearm magazines.
Col. Jean Fajardo, PNP spokesperson, said six close associates of Teves were arrested in the raids and that one of them is among those charged in the murder of three people in Negros Oriental in 2019.
“One of them was the security guard watching over the property and the rest are his close associates,” Fajardo said at a news briefing in Camp Crame yesterday afternoon.
However, Fajardo stopped short of identifying the suspects they had in custody.
Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr., CIDG director, said his operatives had 10 warrants issued by Mandaue City Executive Judge Allan Francisco Garciano to search for such firearms.
The targets were Teves’ residence in Barangay Nagbo-Alao in Basay town and the property of the Teves family in Barangay Malabugas in Bayawan City.
In a statement issued by the CIDG, those covered by the search warrants were identified as Jojo Matura, Milcyn Maruran, Hannah Mae Oray, Roland Pablo and two of Teves’ relatives – Kurt Mathew Teves and Axel Teves.
Upon verification with the PNP’s Civil Security Group (CSG), the licenses of the guns seized were found to have been revoked.
In an earlier interview, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos said that Teves had long been using spurious documents for his firearms and that the Public Attorney’s Office had been informed about it.
Abalos clarified that the CIDG operation was not connected to the killing of Degamo.
However, televised reports had shown two of four arrested suspects in the governor’s attack naming a “Congressman Teves” as their mastermind.
Apart from Rep. Teves, his brother, Pryde Henry, also once held the position of congressman representing Negros Oriental.
Teves, who is being implicated by Degamo’s family in his murder, has denied involvement in the crime but has yet to return from a trip abroad for “stem cell treatment.”
He had claimed in a video message posted in Facebook that he knew he would be implicated in Degamo’s killing even if his family had nothing to gain from the governor’s death and appealed that his firearms licenses be restored for their protection.
Fajardo said PNP deputy chief for operations, Maj. Gen. Jonnel Estomo, has volunteered to provide security to the lawmaker.
“He will make sure that the necessary security will be provided to Cong. Teves as soon as he arrives here in the Philippines,” she said.
She also revealed that police have recovered two more assault rifles in Barangay Cansumalig, which they believe were used in the Degamo shooting.
Meanwhile, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said Rep. Teves’ passport can be cancelled if he is charged with masterminding Degamo’s assassination.
Zubiri said he would advise Rep. Teves to face the charges.
He also said that if there is concrete evidence and a warrant of arrest issued against the congressman, the Philippine government can coordinate with United States authorities about his location.
“The remedy of the government is it can cancel the passport if a warrant of arrest is issued. They can coordinate with the US to silently repatriate Rep. Teves. He should face the charges against him,” Zubiri explained in Filipino.
Zubiri also said Degamo’s murder could be classified as a terrorist act and asked the PNP to conduct a threat assessment to prevent similar crimes from happening in the future.
In an interview over dwIZ radio, Zubiri lamented the apparent surge of attacks against elected government officials.
He enumerated them as the wounding of Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. (Feb. 17), the killing of Aparri Vice Mayor Rommel Alameda (Feb. 19), the wounding of Datu Montawal Mayor Ohto Montawal (Feb. 22) and the fatal shooting of Degamo and eight others who were with him (March 4).
“This is political terrorism, under the terrorism law the killing of civilians, destruction of property, to create an atmosphere of fear,” said Zubiri.
“Degamo’s death is a warning message to all Negros Oriental. The case can be placed under the anti-terrorism law… very applicable. Their weapons are not revolvers, they are all high-powered. (The incident was) well-planned and well-financed. They have RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) that can penetrate into bullet-proof vehicles. They even have sniper rifles,” he added.
Degamo was attending to his constituents inside the compound of their house when men, armed with high-powered firearms, entered and started shooting. Apart from those killed, 13 others were wounded.
Zubiri said the PNP, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) should ensure the security not only of politicians but civilians as well.
He called on the PNP to conduct an intensive threat assessment, especially on warring political factions and political parties, with the fast approaching barangay elections.
“Police visibility must be improved. The PNP can tap the military to assist them in the peacekeeping efforts,” he added.
Yesterday, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said there was a “failure of intelligence” and security that opened a window for Degamo’s assassination.
In the radio program “Executive Session” on dzRH, Remulla said that while the governor had six security personnel, only one was present during the attack on March 4.
“There was a failure of intelligence here. And there is also the question of why only one security detail was there,” Remulla said, echoing the comment made earlier by General Rodolfo Azurin Jr.
The PNP chief had admitted negligence and security lapses since threats on Degamo’s life had already prompted an increase in security personnel assigned to protect him.
A total of six armed escorts – four of them local police officers in Negros Oriental – were supposed to secure the perimeter of Degamo’s residence in Pamplona on that day he and 20 others were shot and killed or wounded.
“That should be investigated. That is a failure of intelligence by the PNP regional command. Security detail is their job, to secure the residence” Remulla said.
Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito, in a post on Twitter, also questioned why five of the six security personnel supposed to protect Degamo were not around when he was attacked.
At yesterday’s media briefing, Fajardo said: “The SILG (Secretary of the Interior and Local Government) has already instructed both the AFP and the PNP to locate and account for these security personnel assigned to Gov. Degamo.”
Abalos, who heads Special Task Force Degamo, ordered that they be investigated. – Cecille Suerte Felipe, Marc Jayson Cayabyab