DUMAGUETE CITY—The governor of Negros Oriental claimed there was a plot to assassinate him revealed by the seizure of several high-powered firearms from three men in the town of Caticlan, Aklan province.
At a press briefing, Degamo said the three men, including an Army reservist and a retired soldier, could be guns-for-hire contracted to kill him and his wife, Pamplona town Mayor Janice Degamo.
Authorities in Aklan on Monday (June 29) stopped a gray SUV at the Caticlan Jetty Port and arrested Marvin Miranda, 31, an Army reservist who lives in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental; Mario Puyal, 62, a retired soldier from Taguig City; and Adolfo Obiacoro, 34, a tricycle driver from Imus, Cavite but claims to be temporarily living in Bayawan City.
Authorities seized from the suspects several shotguns, rifles, pistols and ammunition.
Degamo said he received a piece of information that the firearms were meant to be shipped to Negros Oriental and would be used to kill him and his wife.
The governor said he will request the Philippine Army to provide him and his wife security detail, adding that he has yet to check reports if the suspects had been involved in previous killings in the province.
Degamo said attempts to kill him and his wife may be politically motivated as he is still eligible to run for reelection in 2022.
“I can still run as governor,” he told reporters.
He said his rivals “think that they can’t win against me so the easiest way would be to eliminate me and my wife.”
Degamo said he would seek reelection for a fourth term, which is prohibited by the Constitution but which Degamo said the Supreme Court already allowed when it ruled in favor of Camarines Norte Gov. Edgardo Tallado’s run for a fourth term, citing interruptions in Tallado’s tenure because of suspensions and orders to dismiss him from office.
In 2017, the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan suspended Degamo while he faced trial for the alleged use of a portion of the P480.7-million calamity funds revoked by the national government in 2012. During his suspension, Vice Governor Edward Mark Macias assumed the post of governor.
Degamo also welcomed the decision of the national Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to place Negros Oriental under a more relaxed modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) from July 1 to 15,.
Degamo said it was a sign of the province’s progress in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic but also described the easing of restrictions as a challenge to prevent coronavirus transmission.
Because regular flights and sea trips are now allowed under MGCQ, Degamo said he will meet with the provincial IATF to screen arrivals for the virus.