MANILA — Armed males in navy gear attacked a provincial governor within the central Philippines on Saturday, killing him and a number of other different individuals, in response to the police. Hours later, three had been arrested in reference to the case.
The motive for the killing, the newest in a collection of lethal assaults on political leaders, was not instantly clear. Initial police studies mentioned that the governor, Roel Degamo, had been at house within the city of Pamplona, within the province of Negros Oriental, when the assault passed off.
At least 5 different individuals current had been additionally killed. They had been described as residents who had been assembly with Mr. Degamo to hunt help from the governor’s welfare program.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., calling for a speedy investigation, vowed that the killers could be caught.
“My government will not rest until we have brought the perpetrators of this dastardly and heinous crime to justice,” Mr. Marcos mentioned in a press release. “I am warning all those involved in this killing: You can run, but you cannot hide.”
Hours later, the police mentioned that three males had been arrested in reference to the crime. They had been all aged 40 to 50; two had been described as former troopers. The police additionally reported seizing a .45-caliber pistol and ammunition.
A police assertion issued earlier than the arrests had mentioned that the perpetrators wore camouflage uniforms and bulletproof vests and carried lengthy weapons to hold out their “treacherous attack.”
Mr. Degamo, 56, got here from a political household and was allied with Mr. Marcos. Mr. Degamo initially misplaced his election in May 2022, however efficiently challenged the outcomes. His disqualified rival, Pryde Henry Teves, served as governor briefly however stepped apart for Mr. Degamo.
The vp, Sara Duterte, expressed her condolences for a “political ally” and “dear friend” in a publish on Mr. Degamo’s Facebook web page. Her publish additionally alluded to unrest within the province, saying, “ Authorities must start looking at the political feud that has gripped Negros Oriental and has taken so many lives, not just of Gov. Degamo.”
Violence associated to political rivalries is frequent within the Philippines, the place politicians are identified to make use of personal armies. In final yr’s basic election, the police mentioned they’d recognized 150 “private armed groups” and had fanned out throughout the nation in an effort to disband them.
Many of those personal armies function in areas removed from the capital, Manila, in locations the place energy is decided by political clans, officers have mentioned.
Last month, within the southern Philippine province of Lanao del Sur, 4 cops had been killed and three others, together with the province’s governor, Mamintal Adiong, had been injured in a roadside ambush.
In one other assault additionally final month, gunmen disguised as cops waylaid a van carrying Rommel Alameda, the vice mayor of Aparri, a city within the north, killing him and 5 companions.
Source web site: www.nytimes.com
