CEBU CITY – A year after the killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, authorities are still hunting nine individuals who are believed to be involved in the gruesome crime.

Police Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare said warrants of arrest have already been issued against the nine suspects who are members of armed groups or gun-for-hire.

MAYOR Janice Degamo (center), widow of the late Gov. Roel Degamo, during a memorial for her husband in Pamplona, Negros Oriental on March 4. (FB)

The spokesperson of Police Regional Office-Central Visayas chief Police Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin said it is possible that the nine suspects had already fled from the province.

Pelare said there are about 20 persons involved in the crime and some are already in jail.

Heavily armed men broke into the compound of the Degamo family and fatally shot the governor, who was attending to his constituents at the time on March 4 last year. Seven other persons were killed and 17 others were injured in the daring attack.

Former Negros Oriental Rep. Arnulfo Teves has been tagged as a prime suspect in the attack. Four suspects were arrested shortly after the crime.

Pelare is not discounting the possibility that there are still armed groups in the Negros Oriental but assured that the province is already peaceful.

If there are still armed groups in the province, they can just be considered as remnants, Pelare said.

“We are methodically neutralizing the private armed groups in Negros Oriental. In fact, we have not reported any atrocities perpetrated by these armed groups for a long time already,” Pelare said.

Pelare said although the province’s peace and order has significantly improved, enough police personnel are still deployed in the area.