Gen. Rodolfo Azurin, Jr., chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), has ordered a thorough investigation to determine if there were security lapses that gave opportunity to the gunmen that killed Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo to carry out the assassination inside the compound adjacent to his house in Pamplona town on March 4.
“I already ordered the Command Group to look into the possible reshuffling of our personnel,” said Azurin in a press briefing at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
After the failed kill plot on Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong, Jr., Azurin ordered all police commanders to conduct threat assessment on all the elected and appointed public officials in their respective areas of responsibility.
In the case of Degamo, Azurin said he wants to know, through an investigation, if his order was complied with, considering that there was already a threat on the life of the Negros Oriental governor before.
He then referred to a CCTV footage wherein the gunmen that killed Degamo and eight others easily entered the compound before carrying out the brazen gun attack.
While the attack occurred inside the residence of Degamo, the conduct of threat assessment would have warned the governor about the risk.
“That would be part of the investigation that will be conducted by the PNP to determine the culpability of the security of the late Gov. Degamo,” said Azurin.
“So these are the things that we need to remind our VIP security that they can only relax once their VIPs are inside their house and that even in the vicinity of the house, there is nothing to lower your guard as far as securing our VIP is concerned,” he added.
Degamo was shot dead while meeting with his constituents who are beneficiaries of the government’s cash dole out program.
“The investigation is ongoing not only on the case of what happened to the governor but definitely on the administrative aspect of our police personnel there,” said Azurin.