One of the "masterminds" in the March 4 killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel R. Degamo and eight other persons has been arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla said on Friday, March 31.
While Remulla did not reveal the name of the arrested person, he said: “Siya ‘yung pinaghahanap namin talaga (He is the one we are looking for).”
The person, who was caught while fleeing Negros Oriental, is now in the custody of the NBI, he said.
The arrest of one of the suspected masterminds “is a breakthrough,” he said as he noted that “the Degamo case is 99 percent solved.”
He said the suspected mastermind is still undergoing debriefing before the NBI.
“We want to get the details first. We want to see the attitude and we have to take a break kasi (because) this has been very intense and now we can heave a sigh for a few days while we are still getting more details,” he pointed out.
He assured that more information will be shared to the public on Monday, April 3.
Suspended Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” A. Teves has been tagged in the Degamo killing. But Teves had repeatedly denied his implication in the murder of the governor last March 4.
Teves is still abroad. He refused to return to the Philippines after his official travel ended last March 9. He claimed “security reasons” for his continued stay abroad.