3 men linked to Degamo slay found guilty of illegal firearms, explosives possession

A Manila City court has found three men linked to the killing of former Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo in March 2023 guilty in separate cases involving the illegal possession of firearms and explosives. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday, the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 40 sentenced Joric Labrador to eight to 10 years in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. Joven Javier and Benjie Rodriguez were each sentenced to reclusion perpetua, or up to 40 years in prison, for unlawful possession of explosives. Degamo and nine others were killed when armed men opened fire while he was distributing aid at his residence in Pamplona, Negros Oriental, on March 4, 2023. Hours later, police and military personnel arrested Labrador, Javier, and Rodriguez in Bayawan City. “The law enforcement officers were immediately notified of the shooting of Gov. Degamo and other victims in Pamplona, Negros Oriental and conducted the investigation. Authorities recovered a .45-caliber pistol, two magazines, 14 rounds of live ammunition, and two hand grenades from the three accused,” the DOJ said. “The Court upheld the validity of the warrantless arrests, ruling that the circumstances formed a continuous sequence of events from the shooting, CCTV review, and pursuit of the getaway vehicles, which determined that the recovered items were properly identified and their handling was sufficiently established through the testimonies of the police officers and other witnesses,” it added. A separate Manila court is hearing the multiple murder case against several accused, including former Negros Oriental congressman Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. Teves has previously denied that he and his family were involved in Degamo’s killing, saying they had no motive to have him killed. The Teves and Degamo families are political rivals in Negros Oriental. — VBL, GMA News