Remulla: Now is best time to be in Negros Oriental

CEBU, Philippines —  Amid the recent killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo, Justice Secretary Boying Remulla said this may be the best time to go to the province for tourism activities as the place is currently very secure.

This, as Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos has assured that they are speeding up the process to give justice to the slain governor and restore the people’s confidence in the province.

“Unfortunately, this happened, at nagkakaroon talaga ng epekto sa tourism sa lugar, kung kayat itoy binibilisan namin,” Abalos said in a press conference yesterday.

Abalos, however, added that the Negrense’s confidence is slowly getting back with all the actions that the government has taken in securing the province.

“Nakikita naman natin na yung kumpyansa ng mga tao sa probinsya, bumabalik na. Importante magkaroon na sila ng kumpyansa na mawala na lahat ng mga illegal firearms doon,” added Abalos.

Mayor Degamo back in office

Special Joint Task Force Negros’ Spokesperson Major Cenon Pancito III has disclosed that Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo, wife of the late governor, is also set to go back to work today, something that is expected to boost the confidence of its people and the rest of Negros Oriental to go back to “normalcy.”

“Maganda nga itong pangitain na to. Of course, talagang mabigat sa loob ni Mayor Degamo itong pag-usad, but somehow naki-isa ang ating mayor na ipakita sa taong bayan ang semblance of normalcy dito sa area na ito. At tanging gusto naman niya is magkaroon ng tiwala ang taong bayan,” Pancito said.

The province’s security measures remain tight for the special task force to be able to get the perpetrators, dismantle the armed groups and secure the families, the witnesses, and the Negrenses in general.

“There is no way that violence can be used as a tool to propel our strength kung ano pamang personal agenda natin.  The government will come in full force should you continue to oppress and use violence saan mang parte ng ating bansa,” Pancito said over GMA’s Balitang Bisdak.

With Negros Oriental tightly secured at the moment, Remulla, for his part, felt it is the best time to be in the said province at the moment.

“We’ll maybe it’s the best time to go to Negros now. Di ba, kasi it’s very safe. Might as well go there and it’s a very good time to be a tourist,” Remulla said.

Another suspect surrenders

Abalos and Remulla, together with the other members of Task Force Degamo, also disclosed yesterday that a “direct participant in the killing of Degamo had surrendered to the Armed Forces of the Philippines and is set to be turned over to the National Bureau of Investigation.

The suspect strengthens the testimonies of other witnesses who earlier surrendered.

“We were told that the suspect has vital and critical information that we hope will pave way for the resolution of this case the soonest possible time,” Abalos said.

Remulla, for his part, said the information given by the suspect will have to be validated to make sure that everything in the investigation is reliable.

“He knows the other people involved and the information he told us corroborated with the statements given by others who were earlier arrested,” Remulla said.

Task Force Degamo, which Abalos heads, is composed of the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Department of Justice, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of National Defense, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, and the National Bureau of Investigation.

Abalos reiterated his call for the others involved in the crime to surrender.—  GAN (FREEMAN)