A year after Pamplona massacre, Janice Degamo says ‘justice is coming’

Hundreds of residents in Barangay Bonawon in Siaton town, Negros Oriental, on Monday, March 4, paid their respects to their departed governor Roel Demago and nine others who were killed with him exactly a year ago.

In the late the governor’s hometown, they renewed calls for justice and their commitment to fighting impunity.

Degamo and nine others were killed in a brazen attack at his property in Pamplona town, where his wife Janice is mayor, during an aid distribution activity on March 4, 2023. The incident has since been referred to as the Pamplona Massacre.

“Justice is coming,” Janice Degamo said on her husband’s first death anniversary – the same words she posted on social media last February 29.

Her social media post came a day after the Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed that the Interpol had issued a Red Notice against expelled Negros Oriental congressman Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr., the alleged mastermind of the assassination. 

“When their attempts to fool the voters and make a mockery of our electoral process in order to defeat Roel were unsuccessful, they began to plot his murder…. Let us never forget what we are fighting for – for justice, for democracy, for peace, for our very existence,” Janice said on Sunday, March 3.

Alliance formed

The mayor was joined by relatives and political allies, who announced their support for her candidacy as Negros Oriental 3rd District representative – Teves’ former post.

To the surprise of many, Negros Oriental 2nd District Representative Manuel “Chiquiting” Sagarbarria announced his full support for Janice’s bid for the congressional seat in 2025.

His son, Negros Oriental Governor Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria, used to be allied with Teves and his younger brother and former governor Pryde Henry Teves under the Nationalist People’s Coalition.

Henry attempted to run for his brother’s position as Negros Oriental 3rd District representative before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) called off the special elections in November 2023.

“To have a complete and absolute justice in the third district, it has been decided that no other than the wife of the late governor, Janice Degamo, will run for congresswoman,” the older Sagarbarria said on Monday.

Resolution wanted

Members of the community and religious organizations sought a clear resolution to the Degamo case, especially since Teves allegedly remains at large in Timor-Leste.

“Yes, some of the suspects may have been arrested, cases may have been filed, and several decisions have been made. But the resolution is not yet in sight,” Dumaguete Bishop Julito Cortes said in a statement on Monday.

Cortes, citing Miroslav Volf’s The End of Memory: Remembering Rightly in a Violent World, argued that true peace and reconciliation requires an acknowledgement of the harm done, and a commitment to addressing the underlying issues of society.

“It cannot be achieved through superficial and insincere gestures,” the bishop said.

On August 16, 2023, Teves was kicked out of the House of Representatives. Prior to this, the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) designated the Teves brothers and 11 others as terrorists. 

The designation was intended to prompt United Nations member states to repatriate Teves back to the Philippines if he is found within their jurisdiction.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla in a press conference on February 28 said they were planning to send a team to Timor-Leste to bring Teves back to the Philippines.

“We will send in the NBI to serve the warrant,” Remulla said. – with reports from Erwin Delilan/Rappler.com