Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday, March 4, asked authorities to look into the “political feud” in Negros Oriental after its governor, Roel Degamo, was killed in a shooting incident in his home in Pamplona, Negros Oriental. 

In a statement, the Vice President condemned the killing of the governor, who she said was both a “political ally” and a “dear friend.”

“Authorities must immediately probe this cowardly, evil act and bring the perpetrators to justice and pay for their crime, especially the brains behind it,” she said.

“Authorities must start looking at the political feud that has gripped Negros Oriental and has taken so many lives, not just of Gov. Degamo,” Duterte added. 

Last month, the Supreme Court dismissed the petitions filed by former Negros Oriental governor Henry Teves and sided with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which, in Oct. 2022, proclaimed Degamo as the rightful winner of the hotly contested 2022 gubernatorial race in the province.

This after votes obtained by a nuisance candidate—Ruel G. Degamo—was transferred to the late governor because the Comelec failed to resolve the case before Election Day. 

Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr., brother of Henry, also appeared in a garbled video in Dec. 2022, claiming that some soldiers and military units from Negros Occidental were involved in an assassination plot against him and members of his family.

Duterte said Degamo’s death “is a tragedy to the province of Negros Oriental, and I am one with the grieving people of the province, his friends, and his family.”

The governor was in his home in Pamplona, Negros Oriental attending an aid event for 4P beneficiaries and meeting with his constituents when armed men attacked him. 

Several others were reportedly injured.