Manila Bulletin
Philippines
Top defense, security officials fly to Dumaguete to ease residents' fears
Philippines
Top defense, security officials fly to Dumaguete to ease residents' fears
Top defense, security officials fly to Dumaguete to ease residents' fears
Published Mar 11, 2023 07:01 am
Department of National Defense Officer in Charge (DND-OIC) Senior Undersecretary and Carlito Galvez Jr., Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Andres Centino, and Philippine National Police (PNP) OIC Police Lt. Gen. Rhodel Sermonia flew to Dumaguete City on Saturday, March 11, to personally assure residents that peace and order will be restored amid the government’s efforts to solve the assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo.
Galvez talked to military and police personnel in Dumaguete City to brief them about the creation of a joint task force (JTF) that would help the PNP arrest the remaining at-large suspects behind Degamo’s killing last March 4.
The JTF will be created after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued verbal orders to Galvez to “suppress the criminal activities and impunity,” and dismantle private armed groups in the entire island of Negros.
“The President said ‘I did not realize how grave the situation in Negros is,’” Galvez recalled Marcos as saying when the latter visited Degamo’s wake last March 8.
“All the atrocities in Negros were uncovered. He told me ‘Charlie, we need to do something. We need to catch all of the suspects,’” Galvez added.
"Magtulong-tulong po tayo para mawakasan po tong tinatawag nating nakakarimarimarim na mga ginagawa dito (We need to work together to stop what we call horrible acts here)," the Defense chief stressed.
JTF
Centino said the JTF will be composed of two infantry brigades – 302nd Infantry Brigade based in Tanjay, Negros Oriental with three infantry battalions, and another brigade based in Negros Occidental with an additional three infantry battalions. The JTF will be tasked to step up the joint operations of the AFP and PNP to hunt down the escaped assassins. The PNP earlier announced that up to 10 suspects may be behind the assassination of Degamo. Four of them have already been arrested while another one was killed in a hot pursuit. Currently, Centino said the personnel being eyed to be included as members of the JTF are focused on running after insurgents in Negros. “But with this incident, with what happened a week ago, binigyan sila ng panibagong (they were given a new) tasking to make sure that they understand... that aside from what they’re currently doing, they are also focused on supporting the law enforcement operation being done by the Philippine National Police,” Centino said. “We tasked the whole of forces here in Negros to make sure that all of them are aligned and they understand what they are supposed to be doing. We are redeploying these units in areas where we think they are needed to be deployed,” he added. Centino wouldn’t disclose where exactly the soldiers will be posted as he noted that other suspects behind Degamo’s killing are constantly on the run. The DND and AFP also deployed elite counter-terrorist forces from the Philippine Army’s Light Reaction Company, who saw action in the Battle of Marawi in 2017, to run after the suspects. Meanwhile, the PNP expressed commitment to “restore civility and normalcy in the province.” “We are here not just to solve the crime and to compel perpetrators to answer for their crimes but more so, we are here to put a stop to the culture of violence that causes fear in the hearts and minds of the people – and see to it that it never happens again,” Sermonia said.