The Philippine National Police (PNP) announced on Tuesday that the four suspects in the killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and eight others on March 4 have been transferred to Camp Crame in Quezon City. The suspects were arrested in Bayawan City several hours after the shooting incident, and they have been identified as former members of the Philippine Army who were dishonorably discharged.
Two of the suspects have been enrolled in the witness protection program (WPP) of the Department of Justice (DoJ). The DoJ will assess whether the suspects qualify as state witnesses. Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare, the Special Investigation Task Group spokesman, did not disclose who among the suspects were enrolled in the WPP.
Pelare confirmed that one of the suspects was a former bodyguard of Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez. Rodriguez had disclosed that Joric G. Labrador, a former Army sergeant, served as his security aide but was dismissed in 2014 after Rodriguez found out that Labrador was involved in drugs.
Personnel from the Bayawan Police Station have been relieved to ensure that the remaining suspects will be arrested. Pelare also disclosed that empty shells found at the crime scene matched the recovered assault rifles in Bayawan City. The plates of the vehicles allegedly used by the suspects to commit the crime and later abandoned will undergo DNA testing to determine if the owners have any connection to the crime or if the plates were stolen.
In conclusion, the investigation into the killing of Gov. Degamo and eight others is ongoing, and the transfer of the four suspects to Camp Crame and their enrollment in the WPP are significant developments in the case. The police are also investigating the possibility that the owners of the vehicles used in the crime have a connection to the suspects. The involvement of a former bodyguard of a congressman in the crime has also been confirmed.
