A special task force meets today to assess additional cases that may be filed against the suspected masterminds in the assassination of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo.
This developed as initial investigations in the Degamo slay indicated that there were two prior attempts on the governor’s life before he was finally felled by assassins’ bullets last March 4, along with eight other innocent bystanders right in the governor’s home in Pamplona town.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has also said the Task Force Degamo would likewise evaluate who among the suspects could qualify as a state witness.
The first attempt to kill Degamo involved the use of a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), while the second was through a sniper, but both plots fizzled out for “lack of manpower.”
New details about Degamo’s assassination plots were unearthed by a Department of Justice (DOJ) panel of prosecutors that issued a resolution indicting Marvin Miranda, one of the alleged masterminds in Degamo’s killing, for nine counts of murder, 13 counts of frustrated murder, and 4 counts of attempted murder.
The resolution quoted another suspect identified as Rogelio Antipolo, Jr. who reportedly told all he knew about the governor’s murder in a sworn statement.
Antipolo allegedly tagged Miranda as a former bagman of Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves.
Antipolo narrated that he met Miranda in an old house of Teves’ father in Bayawan, Negros Oriental sometime in October 2022, along with two other suspects, Winrich Isturis and Dahniel Lora.
Antipolo said he agreed to join a “project” which he later learned to be about Degamo’s assassination.
In his affidavit, Antipolo said sometime in December 2022, Miranda and Lora flew to Mindanao using Teves’ helicopter to procure RPGs and other explosives.
The first attempt on Degamo allegedly took place last December 23, with Joven Javier and Lora firing the RPG at Degamo, but it did not materialize.
The resolution stated that Teves told Miranda that “the mission was aborted due to lack of manpower.”
Three more men were eventually recruited — Eulogio Gonyon, Jr., John Louie Gonyon and Romel Pattaguan—for the plot.
The second attempt was on February 14, 2023, during a mass wedding, with a sniper deployed to pull the hit on Degamo, but this likewise was aborted.
In his statement, Antipolo said Miranda again reported to Teves about the failed second attempt, resulting in the recruitment of three more hitmen identified as Benjie Rodriguez, Jovic Labrador, and Osmundo Rojas Rivero.
It was Miranda, according to Antipolo, who distributed the firearms, ammunition, vests, and magazines, as well as an advance payment of P20,000.
Miranda supposedly arrived at the safehouse with his brother, said to be the close-in security of Congressman Teves.
The group finally managed to kill Degamo on March 4, but four of the suspects were immediately arrested — Labrador, Javier, Rodriguez and Rivero. A fifth suspect, identified as Arnil Labranilla, was killed in the hot pursuit operations.
Antipolo, himself, surrendered on March 18 while the 5 others surrendered on March 21.
Miranda was arrested in Antique on March 31.
Labrador, Javier, Rodriguez, Rivero and Antipolo reportedly tagged Miranda as one of the persons who hatched the assassination plot on Degamo.
“In fact, respondent Miranda participated not only in the execution proper but also in the planning stage of the evil purpose. Thus, he should be considered as a principal and should be held liable to the same extent as his co-conspirators,” the resolution said.
The resolution was signed by assistant state prosecutors Benny Nicdao, Mary Grace Bathan-Barcelona and Honey Rose Delgado.
Remulla earlier identified Miranda as Teves’ alleged co-mastermind, with Teves supposedly acting as executive producer or producer while Miranda allegedly served as director and casting director in Degamo’s killing.