What was supposed to be an ordinary Saturday morning for Gov. Roel Degamo turned out to be his last.
Six armed men in military uniforms, and all armed to the teeth, nonchalantly entered the Governor’s compound in Pamplona town — where he was meeting with constituents — and sprayed a hail of bullets. Five were killed on the spot. The Governor died about two hours later in the hospital.
Saturday’s massacre also injured three Provincial Government Department heads.
Negros Oriental has indeed changed. It is no longer the peaceful Province it once was, with politicians freely going about their business with only one or no bodyguards in tow.
This was unprecedented on many respects. Never before in the history of Negros Oriental has this ever happened. Not only that, this happened to someone who was even a close ally of the President of the Philippines.
We fear that this assassination might just join the statistics of unsolved killings in Negros Oriental.
We condemn this dastardly act, as we grieve for the culture of impunity prevailing in our Province today.
We join the call for justice, not just for Degamo, and the five others whose lives were put to an end by this mercenary group, but also for the many other killings that until now, have remained unsolved.
