MANILA, Philippines – Tensions hit a peak on the fourth day of the Senate hearing into the assassination of governor Roel Degamo and other killings.

On Wednesday, May 10, Jerome Nalam, a pastor and former employee of Siaton Mayor Fritz Diaz, linked his former boss and the Degamo camp to illegal gambling.

When the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs resumed its hearing on Thursday, May 11, Nalam claimed Diaz had confronted him on May 10 inside the Tolentino Hall inside the Senate building.

After the session, where Degamo and their political rivals confronted each other on illegal gambling, quarrying and alleged corruption, Diaz allegedly pointed his finger and “harassed” him.

“Pastor [Jerome] Nalam was approached by mayor Diaz and his escorts and imputed malicious utterances and imputations accompanied by inappropriate gestures. This all happened inside senator tolentino hall. This was witnessed by Renato Laping,” lawyer Rosel Erames wrote in a letter to Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, the committee chairperson on dangerous drugs and public order.

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Dela Rosa read the letter during the committee on Thursday, May 11, the fifth day of the Senate hearings.

Fritz denied threatening Nalam and said he was merely telling the pastor that alleged assassination attempts against him failed.

Dela Rosa admonished resource persons in the Degamo and Teves camps not to contact each other. “This is a trivial matter, but I don’t want it to blow up,” the committee chairperson said.

Tables turned

On the day that the confrontation happened, Degamo and her political allies, who had previously brought a battalion of families of unsolved killings, faced critics who testified against them.

A large chunk of Wednesday and Thursdays was spent listening to those who believed the Degamos and their allies were also allegedly involved in political harassment and other illegal activities.

Nalam, a former political organizer of the Degamos, and Kitty Torres, another former staff, accused the Degamos of being involved in illegal gambling, quarrying, and having unexplained wealth.

“The Teveses and Degamos are both warlords. I know them so well,” Torres said.

Torres claimed to have documents to show that Degamo had quarries in the names of the Degamo’s helpers, household staff and other people.

Mayor Janice denied this and said she was open to a lifestyle background check and an investigation into her wealth, which she said comes from the fishing business.

Nalam also alleged that the provincial vehicle spotted in the killing of radio journalist Rex Cornelio in 2020, was used by police officer Ruel Piñero, a suspect in the Cornelio murder, with permission of the slain governor.

Degamo denied her husband was involved in the Cornelio case.

Diaz, on the other hand, claimed Nalam had used a Degamo slay getaway vehicle when he visited the vice mayor of Sta. Catalina. The pastor denied the claim.

Thursday is the fifth day of the investigation into the killing of Degamo.

Torres also alleged her house was strafed with bullets after the last hearing on April 20, although the reason for the strafing was unclear. Dela Rosa pointed out that her name was not mentioned by name during that hearing.

In the first series of hearings, the testimonies focused on those who were either harassed or families of those killed, allegedly due to political reasons, land grabbing issues, among others.

They also heard from the police officers who were accused of not acting on cases of harassment, killings, or themselves were involved in the killings.

On Thursday, May 11, Degamo requested twice if the victims she brought to the Senate could be heard first, followed by those on the opposing camp.

Dela Rosa denied this request.

He previously said that the inquiry was not just about investigating the Degamo assassination, but hearing all sides.

“As your Chair of the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, you have my word: I will see this through to the end,” Dela Rosa said. “I am grateful that the country is paying close attention, but I also ask you, with all sincerity, to see these cases with eyes that look beyond their entertainment value, if there’s any,” he added. – Rappler.com