THE late Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo sustained 11 bullet wounds in his body, according to results of an autopsy conducted by the Philippine National Police's regional forensic unit.
Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo, wife of the slain official, said the bullet wound to the governor's heart proved to be the most fatal.
“Naay 11 ka igo pero ang pinaka-fatal ang heart gyud. Matud pa sa doctor nga beyond repair ang heart. Ingon sya nga kung katong ubang parte sa tiil, buko-buko mga daplis sa bukton mahimo pang masalbar pero kaning atong kasing-kasing, dili gyud,” she said.
(There are 11 bullet wounds but the heart wound is the most lethal. The doctor said the heart is beyond repair. He said that while the legs, spine, arms and other parts of the body can be saved, our hearts cannot.)
The firearms and explosives recovered from the four suspects during a follow-up operation in Barangay Cansumalig, Bayawan City had underwent ballistic examination and the results revealed that these were used in the murders of Degamo and eight other people at his residential complex in Pamplona town on Saturday, March 4, 2023.
The seized weapons included five assault rifles, a B40 RPG grenade launcher and bullets.
Janice expressed satisfaction with the developments of the case, such as the filing of charges by the Special Investigation Task Group Degamo against the accused and the suspects' sworn declaration identifying their mastermind.
“Nalipay mi sa development kay naa man gyuy mga ngalan nga natumbok nga ingnon ta mao puy among gidudahan,” she said.
(We are pleased with the development as the identities provided coincided with the suspects we were thinking of.)
The Degamo family agreed with Vice President Sara Duterte in thinking that the incident's primary motive was political and that politics should be considered in the investigation.
When asked about her reaction on the statements of Negros Oriental Third District Representative Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr., the mayor said she was surprised why he was so defensive in his message.
Teves denied rumors that his family, particularly him and his brother, were behind the brutal killing of the governor and eight others.
In a video statement he posted on his Facebook page on Monday, March 6, 2023, Teves denied allegations made by his critics especially those he considered “Marites ug Epal” that he and his family had any hand on Degamo’s murder.
“If I have the intention or the capability to do that, just remember -- if I had the intention and capability to do that, then I should have done it just before the election began,” Teves said.
“What is my motive? My brother and I will also not benefit from this (Degamo’s death). If the governor dies, it will be the vice governor who will assume the former’s post,” he added.
The congressman’s brother ran against Degamo during the May 2022 Local and National Elections and was proclaimed winner until the Commission on Elections overturned his victory.
Janice hopes that reporters from other media outlets outside of Negros Oriental would follow the story rather than dismiss it. (AYB/TPT)