Negros Oriental governor shot dead inside his house

Roel Degamo

CEBU CITY — The governor of Negros Oriental was shot dead Saturday morning by still-unidentified assailants at the receiving area inside his home in Barangay Isidro, Pamplona town.

Siaton Mayor Fritz Diaz confirmed his death on Saturday afternoon.

Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo suffered gunshot wounds on different parts of his body, according to Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7).

The initial police investigation showed that Degamo was distributing assistance to beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) when the assailants suddenly emerged and shot him at 9:36 a.m.

Some civilians who were with Degamo were also wounded.

“The perpetrators were in full battle gear when they shot the governor several times,” Pelare said.

Degamo and the other victims were rushed to the hospital.

Pelare said the local police led by Colonel Reynaldo Lizardo, director of Negros Oriental provincial police, are conducting a hot pursuit to arrest the perpetrators.

“The provincial director is now at the crime scene to conduct further investigation. Roadblocks were established (to arrest the assailants),” he said.

Degamo earlier lost in the gubernatorial race in the May 2022 elections. However, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) eventually declared him the winner after the votes of nuisance candidate Grego Gaudia, who used the name “Ruel Degamo,” was nullified in his favor.

Roel received 277,462 votes, while Ruel got 49,039 in the last elections. When the numbers were added, they were sufficient for Roel Degamo to defeat Pryde Henry Teves, who garnered 296,897 votes.

Teves, who served as governor of Negros Oriental for almost four months, stepped down from his post on Oct. 11, paving the way for Governor Degamo to assume his post.

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