Department of Justice (DOJ) Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic F. Clavano IV on Friday, May 19, confirmed that a former DOJ undersecretary managed to talk to some suspects detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for their alleged involvement in the March 4, 2023 killings of 10 persons, one of them Negros Oriental Gov. Roel R. Degamo, in Pamplona town.
But Clavano, in an interview over CNN Philippines, did not name the former DOJ undersecretary.
“I would not like to divulge his name without further clearance from the higher ups. I think that information should be kept quite confidential first,” he explained.
Earlier, lawyer Levito D. Baligod, counsel of the Degamo family, said a former DOJ undersecretary allegedly tried to bribe detained suspects “to stop their cooperation” in the investigation on the March 4, 2023 killings.
“A certain high-ranking official of the Department of Justice before with the rank of Usec (undersecretary) is working with some jail guards at the NBI detention facility na ino-offeran nila ng pera ‘yung mga detainees na ‘yan para hindi po sila mag-cooperate sa government (to offer money to the detainees so that they won’t cooperate with the government),” Baligod alleged. He did not name the former DOJ official.
Eleven suspects in Pamplona town killings are detained at NBI.
Clavano recounted that he first learned about the former DOJ official “when he (the former undersecretary) was actually there at the NBI.”
“Initially, when we had asked the suspects or the witnesses whether they knew him, they initially said no. That’s why the NBI had no choice but to turn him away,” he recalled.
Clavano said “he (former undersecretary) eventually found his way back to the NBI and, perhaps, he was able to talk already to the families outside, saying that someone had sent him.”
“That’s why the NBI had no choice but to let him speak to the suspects because he had already gotten the consent of the families,” he said.
“It’s very telling also that the suspects did not know him upon his first arrival at the NBI,” he also said.
Baligod had said he had asked Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. for the transfer of the NBI detainees to the Custodial Center of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Quezon City.
Clavano said the request for the transfer is being processed.
“We understand when you leave suspects or witnesses in a detention center for too long there breeds a lot of familiarity with the facility, with the people there. That is why, when it was mentioned that there is a request to transfer them from NBI to Camp Crame, the secretary was very open to the idea because to move them is a good idea because there is no longer any familiarity that can come out of it,” Clavano said.
“We have already given a heads up to the NBI director that these suspects, these gunmen may be moved upon the request of certain parties. So, we can expect that the next few days, if the secretary signs the request or the approval to the request, that they may be moved to Camp Crame,” he said.
At the same time, Clavano expressed doubt that some of the detained suspects would easily be compelled to recant their earlier sworn statements concerning their participation in the Pamplona killings.
“It’s quite hard to recant unless by some magical hand they suddenly said it’s not them,” said Clavano who recounted that the detained suspects freely pointed who they were in the closed circuit television (CCTV) footage of the crime.
He said the detained suspects will have to prove that they were coerced into admitting of their participation in the crime.
“But there’s really nothing to point at that type of treatment. Right after they were caught, we presented them to media. Even the media had access to them. There were several interviews made at the detention center of NBI where they themselves spoke freely,” he cited.
“No intimidation of any type, especially because we have CCTV (closed-circuit television) installed in the rooms where they were interviewed. You can see by the body language that they were very willing to tell the story,” he added.
He said there are already a total of 17 persons identified and charged “for their involvement” in the Pamplona killings.
Last May 17, the NBI filed 10 counts of murder, 14 counts of frustrated murder, and four counts of attempted against suspended Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” A. Teves Jr. and five other persons.
Teves has not returned to the Philippines since his travel abroad last February. He has denied the allegations against him.
Clavano said: “The NBI has identified them to have an involvement or found to have participated in the assassination or the massacre. Some of them are lookouts. Some of them are those that have bought certain materials or essential tools for the assassination. Some of them bought the vehicles. Now we have a clear picture of the whole planning stage. That’s why we decided to include the five respondents along with Cong. Arnie Teves in the complaint as well,”
Those charged as co-respondents of Teves were identified as Angelo V. Palagtiw, Neil Andrew Go, Capt. Lloyd Cruz Garcia, Nigel Electona, and a person identified only with the aliases “Gee-Ann, Jie-An,” reportedly a sister of Palagtiw.
The DOJ is expected to create a panel of prosecutors to evaluate and study the complaints. If the prosecutors find basis to proceed, summons are expected to be issued to require the respondents to file their counter-affidavits.