• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office and the Philippine Army tightened security checkpoints along the border of Hinobaan, Negros Occidental, and Basay City, Negros Oriental, to prevent the possible crossing of remaining suspects in the assassination of Gov. Roel Degamo.
PCapt. Judyses Catalogo, NOCPPO spokesperson, disclosed that they are strictly inspecting all vehicles and persons passing through the border.
Authorities learned that one of the getaway vehicles used in Degamo’s murder and abandoned by suspects, was rented in Bacolod City. However, the car rental company no longer exists, according to police investigations.
One of the four arrested assassins lives in Negros Occidental.
The military’s Visayas Command (Viscom) on Monday said soldiers deployed over the weekend to Negros Oriental province will assist the Philippine National Police and will not leave the province until peace and order is restored, following the murder of Governor Roel Degamo.
About 300 soldiers from six Army battalions of the 3rd Infantry Division are now joining police in the conduct of security checkpoints along the 21 areas in the 2nd and 3rd districts of Negros Oriental, with borders along Hinobaan and Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.
Lt. General Benedict Arevalo, AFP Visayas Command chief, said the presence of uniformed military personnel in the second and third districts of the province is also aimed at restoring the confidence of the people in the rule of law and encourage witnesses to come forward to shed light on the murder of Degamo and eight others.
Arevalo said the presence of the Army and the police also seeks to give confidence to other witnesses to surface and provide information in numerous unsolved killings in the province.
“As mentioned by Senior Undersecretary Galvez Jr., this is the day of reckoning, and we will never falter in our efforts to enforce the full might of the law and restore peace and order in the entire Negros Island,” Arevalo said in a statement.
Arevalo said the troops will closely work with the police “to step up the joint law enforcement efforts in order to capture the remaining suspects of the violent attack.”*
