MANILA, Philippines – DNA samples taken from crime scenes in the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo matched those of four of the suspects in the massacre, according to tests run by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

“Our investigators (NBI) took specimens from the vehicles used by the shooters and then most of the blood stains in the compound of Governor Degamo. It was subjected to DNA analysis, it matched,” Levito Baligod, lawyer for the Degamos, told the press on Tuesday, June 13.

According to Baligod, it was four of the 10 suspects who recanted – Rogelio Antipolo Jr., Eugelio Gonyon Jr., Winrich Isturis, and Jhudiel (Osmundo) Rivero – whose samples matched the DNA found at the crime scene.

Secretary of Justice Boying Remulla also confirmed the DNA match.

Degamo and 8 others were killed by a group of armed men in a morning attack on March 4 in Pamplona, Negros Oriental.

“Nandoon sila sa lugar (They were there at the scene),” Remulla said referring to the suspects during a press briefing on Tuesday.

Nearly all the suspects in custody recanted their initial confessions tagging fugitive congressman Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. as the mastermind behind the massacre.

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Almost all suspects in Degamo slay recant confessions

The other suspects who have recanted include:

• Joven Javier
• John Louie Gonyon
• Joric Labrador
• Benjie Rodriguez
• Romel Pattaguan
• Dahniel Lora

The alleged “co-mastermind” Marvin Miranda is the only one directly linked to the killing who has not recanted yet. All of the suspects in NBI custody have had military training.

The total number of suspects facing complaints is now at 17, including the latest five latest who were sued alongside Teves last May 17.

• Nigel Electona, former PNP
• Neil Andrew Go
• Captain Lloyd Cruz Garcia, pilot
• Angelo Palagtiw
• “Jie-An”

Of these suspects, only Electona is in government custody.

A warrant of arrest has yet to be issued for the others.

The DOJ has not conducted a preliminary investigation into Teves and his co-accused, as the former has remained outside the country.

Why it matters

Despite the high number of suspects who retracted their statements, Remulla believed in the strength of the case even more so now with the revealing physical evidence linking them to the crime.

June 4 marked the third month since the Degamo killing.

While Teves continues to deny involvement in the assassination, he has been at the center of the government’s investigation and a series of Senate inquiries.

He was in the United States at the time of the assassination and has yet to return to the country.

He previously applied for political asylum in the Southeast Asian nation of Timor-Leste, but was denied, according to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs.

Degamo’s assassination has brought national attention and stirred conversations on the long-running problem of unsolved killings in Negros Island. – Rappler.com