President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has tasked Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. to lead the “Special Task Force” to ensure the peace and order situation in the Negros Island following the March 4 killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo.
In Administrative Order No. (AO) 6 dated April 3, the President formed the task force to end the spate of violent and gory incidents in the country including on what transpired in in the Negros Island while protecting the civil and political rights of the public.
Under AO No. 6, the task force will have the power to coordinate and rationalize the efforts of concerned government agencies and instrumentalities to ensure a whole-of-government approach in the prevention, investigation, prosecution, and punishment of violence in the Negros Island.
“Base sa naturang AO, tatayo bilang chair ng task force si Abalos habang magsisilbing co-chair niya ang mga Kalihim ng Department of Justice (DOJ) at Department of National Defense (DND), (Based on the said AO, Abalos will stand as the chairman of the task force while the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of National Defense (DND) will be be the co-chairmen),’’ the DILG explained.
Degamo and eight other people were killed by armed men inside his compound in Pamplona, Negros Oriental where 17 others were seriously injured following the carnage.
Abalos bared that all of the “hitmen’’ in the Degamo slay case are now under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), vowing that the probe will continue until the masterminds are brought to justice.
He said Marvin Halaman Miranda, the suspected “main co-conspirator” in the assassination, who provided the firearms and paid the “hitmen” was among the 11 suspects arrested by the authorities.
“Lahat ng assassins accounted (All the assassins are already accounted for) We’re going towards the mastermind or masterminds ng (in the) Degamo case. Kumbaga sa damit (Compared to the clothings), we got all the materials, tatahiin na lamang natin ito (this will just be sewn)” Abalos maintained.
The DILG chief disclosed that among the task force commanders are the Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff.
He said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will provide “emergency relief assistance’’ to the victims’ families in the Degamo killing while the Department of Health (DOH) was tasked to render “psychological rehabilitation’’ to the affected individuals.
Abalos said the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas will be responsible in coordinating and extending support to the task force’s mandate.