Two employees of slain Negros Oriental Gov. Roel R. Degamo have been tagged as “participants’ in the plan to murder the late governor.
Lawyer Levito Baligod, legal counsel of the Degamo family, said the two “insiders” in the killing were disclosed by a witness who also worked for Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” A. Teves Jr.
Teves has been tagged as “mastermind” in the killings of Degamo and eight other persons in Pamplona town last March 4. Teves, who is still abroad, has denied the allegations against him.
In an interview, Baligod said: “There is another one that I cannot divulge the name at this time siya po ‘yung nagdevelop ng mga informants na nagtatrabaho sa loob ng pamamahay ni Gov. Degamo (he was the one who developed the informants inside the house of Gov. Degamo).”
“And we have already identified the two employees who were even present during the final briefing on March 3, 2023,” he said.
Baligod said that prior to the March 4 killings, Marvin H. Miranda – tagged as “co-mastermind” and former bodyguard of Teves – conducted a briefing on the assassination.
He said that the investigators also found another witness whom Teves allegedly tried to recruit in the killing of Degamo.
“We have a witness who will testify that he was approached way back in 2016 to lead the assassination and he was aware of the most recent plan to implement it,” he also said.
Aside from Miranda, law enforcers have their custody 10 suspects in the March 4 killings. Six of the suspects have been charged before the Manila regional trial court (RTC).
Earlier, the Department of Justice (DOJ) had said the cases against Miranda was ready for filing in court.
The complaints against the four other suspects will be resolved by the DOJ as they opted not to file their counter-affidavits.
Baligod said that so far, there has been no plan for any of the 10 suspects in custody to turn state witnesses.
“As it is the evidence is sufficient already to successfully prosecute all of them without any of them becoming a state witness,” he said.
The Manila regional trial court (RTC) has postponed the arraignment of the six suspects pending consolidation of the other cases against those who would be accused in the killings.