Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa (Senate PRIB)

The seeming "organized violence" in the province of Negros Oriental is "hard to accept". Senator Ronald ‘’Bato’’ dela Rosa emphasized this at the start of the hearing Wednesday, April 19, of his Senate Public Order and Dangerous Drugs Committee on political killings, harassment, illegal activities and land-grabbing in Negros Oriental.
The hearing was spurred by the brazen assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo last March 4 inside his residential compound. Degamo’s widow, Janice, told the committee Tuesday that the Teves brothers were behind the sources of threats on her husband as well as the illegal activities in Negros Oriental. She blamed the Teves family for a series the killings in Negros Oriental. Janice had complained that local policemen, including fiscals and lawyers, can be cowed. The whereabouts of Negros Oriental 3rd Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. remain unknown although there are reports that he had been to Cambodia, and later, South Korea. In his opening statement in the Wednesday hearing, Dela Rosa said he told the ‘’reign of terror’’ line to a resource speaker in Tuesday's hearing. ‘’’From one person’s story to the next, there appeared to be a discernible pattern. It seemed that the saying was once again proven to be true – violence cannot help but breed even more violence,’’ he said. Dela Rosa said the hearings so far have been full of testimonies difficult to accept. ‘’Mahirap para sa aking tanggapin na ang karahasang nagaganap sa probinsya ng Negros Oriental ay tila organized na (It is hard for me to accept that violence in Negros Oriental has become organized). Tila may kasunduan at arrangement na ang mga masasamang loob na nasa loob din ng mga ahensya ng provincial government, kung paano gumawa ng krimen, kung paano pumatay, nang hindi nahuhuli. Ni hindi man lang malalaman ang pangalan (There seems to be an agreement among bad elements in many agencies of the provincial government on how to commit crimes, to kill and elude arrest. There's no way to know their names),’’ he said. ‘’From the testimonies we heard yesterday, we heard for ourselves how violence in the province appears to have taken both small-scale and large-scale forms. ‘’Large-scale, in the sense that public officials like Miguel Dungog, Sherwin Lee Diangco’s father “Biyok”, and Governor Roel Degamo get gunned down, sometimes even in broad daylight, and even in their own homes. Mga journalist din ay walang kawala, tulad ng tatay ni Ella Bernadette Sistoso, at ng asawa ni Juanita Generoso (Even journalists are not spared such as the father of Ella Bernadette Sistoso and husband of Juanita Generoso). He said there are also small-scale violence. ‘’These were the seemingly little rejections, seemingly minor acts of omission. Kung paano hindi tinulungan ang anak ni Ginang Gina Palma dahil sinabi diumano ng pulis na “day off” niya .(Like a policeman’s indifferent attitude by saying he is off-duty’’ to Juwim Estiñoso who went to the police to complain that he has received death threats). The policemen told Juwim that his complaint was just a figment of his imagination. ‘’At ngayon, pinaslang nga si Juwim, at tila nakalimutan na raw ni Police Staff Sgt. Renevic Rizaldo ang paglapit ni Juwim sa kanya (Juwim was later slain and Rizaldo says he could not remember the incident). ‘’And what about suspect linked to the shooting of Jason Ong an Sandy Tigunha which was changed in the  On the surface, a minor detail, but reveals a complex and wrongful oversight,’’  Dela Rosa said. ‘’For every single time that we in government have refused to assist, or even listen, at the very least, to those who come to us for help, or for those times that we helped in the covering up of someone else’s crime – they may seem like small acts of rejection, but taken together, they are grave acts of violence. They are acts of injustice, plain and simple,’’ he added. He said the suspects in the killing of Dindo Generoso, a journalist, were policemen. ‘’Quoting Mayor Janice Degamo in her opening statement yesterday [Tuesday]: the culture of violence and silence have to end. I agree, wholeheartedly. Violence can only persist in silence, which means a refusal to stay silent is one sure step to address violence, whatever form it may take,’’ Dela Rosa said. ‘’And at this point I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the people of Negros Oriental. Maraming salamat sa inyo, sa inyong pasensya at pagtitiwala (Thank you for patience and trust). When the price to pay for telling your story might be your very own life, it is easier to turn your back on this story and stay silent. But I thank you for your courage,’’ he added. ‘’This courage to hold on to one’s integrity is what we will all need to put an end to this reign of terror,’’ he stressed.