DegamoSlay:AMurderBroughttoLight

DgtotheMiriamWebster'sDictionary,itistheirreversible cessation of all vital functions, especially as indicated by a permanent stoppage of the heart, respiration, and brain activity Meanwhile, some philosophers like Plato define it as separating the soul from the body And to most of us, it is simply the end of a life Itʼs safe to say that it's a concept weʼreallawareofandsomethingthatcannotbeundone

There are many ways in which a person could die A terminal illness could cause death or simply because of old age Although, it can also happen due to many outside forces, such as crimes of passion, assassination, homicide, terrorism, murder, and so much more Death is something that no one ever suspects or can easily predict Unfortunately this is only proven by the many victimsofthePamplonaMassacre,whichhashappenedveryrecently

The Pamplona Massacre occurred on March 4, 2023, when gunmen assassinated Roel Degamo the governor of Negros Oriental at his residence in the town of Pamplona while he was distributing aid to participants of a conditional cash transfer program Eight other innocents sadly got caught in theincidentanddied

Of course this is quite a tragic event for the families of these victims How could someone do such an inhumane act without considering the consequences that might ensue? Itʼs pretty apparent that the criminals behind this assault were aiming to have Degamo dead, but the question is, why?Toanswerthat wemustfirstknowwhothisformergovernoris

Roel Degamo, son of Arturo Degamo and Luzviminda Ragay, was a native of Negros Oriental, born in Barangay Bonawon in Siaton town on April 29, 1966 anddiedattheageof56inhisresidenceonMarch4 2023

When we take a look at his political career, weʼll see that he was elected as aprovincialmemberofNegrosOrientalin2010afterreceivingthemostvotes in his province's third legislative district In an odd twist of fate he was appointed as the vice governor after then-Negros Oriental vice governor Agustin Perdices succeeded then-governor Emilio Macias II, who died in June 2010 from liver cancer and in 2011, he became the governor after Perdices alsopassedaway

ALettertotheEditor

Before I start, thank you, editors and writers, for giving time and effort to share and provide us with information through your articles

We officially started having face-to-face classes this school year after two years of Online Distance Learning When I started coming to school, I noticed that some classroomsʼ air conditioning are often not working, including ours (sometimes) And I can say from experience that it affects my ability to learn, especially if the weather is scorching, like nowadays Do you think that having a lack of suitable infrastructure, resources, and materials affect the ability of the students to learn?

Beingguidedbythebeaconof light, JasminedeChavez

Degamo ran for governor of his province in 2013 after finishing the terms of Macias and Perdices Despite his party the PDP-Laban not being as powerful or influential as others at the time, Degamo still managed to defeat opponents from significant parties such as the Nationalist People's Coalition andthethen-rulingLiberalParty

Adding to that the deceased governor began politics in 1998 when he was elected councilor of Siatown, a position he held until 2007 From 2004 to 2007, Degamo was president of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL)Negros Oriental Chapter Later, he was elected chairman of the PCL Central Visayas

In the 2022 election, Degamo stood for a fourth term but was defeated by Pryde Henry Teves, who was proclaimed governor Degamo filed a complaint with he Commission on Elections and because of this a recount wasconducted

Votes for a nuisance candidate named Ruel Degamo were counted as votes for Roel Degamo and he was declared the winner of the recount while Teves announcement was overturned Degamo took the oath of office as governor on October 5, 2022, while his challenger Teves resigned voluntarily onOctober11,2022

Indeed Degamo has quite a political background which leads us to believe that his death was because of political reasons There are quite a few suspectswhocouldbethemastermindbehindthisoperation Still,sofar,the task force said in complete certainty that Negros Oriental Rep Arnolfo “ Arnie TevesJr wasamongthemastermindsbehindthisoperation

Of course, the lawmaker denied being involved in the murder of his political adversary yet still hasnʼt returned to the nation If anything that rousesupsuspicionevenmore JusticeSecretaryJesusCrispinRemullasaidit was “reasonable to say” that he funded the hit men and the firearms used in thebrazenkilling

Another one of the suspects behind the Degamo Slay case is Teves Jrʼs longtime security and bodyguard, Marvin Miranda Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said that Miranda received instructions from Teves Jr whom he called Boss Idol, Big Boss, and Kalbo It was later found out that Miranda, arrested on March 31, had recruited the 11 former soldiers who carried out theassassinationplot

When this news was announced Degamos wife Janice the mayor of Pamplona town in Negros Oriental, was not shocked in any way She stated thatsheexpectedtheassailantstocomecleanandidentifyTevesastheboss whoorderedthehitonherhusband

“Thereisnoonesodesperatetoeliminatethegovernorotherthanthem (Teveses) Soitʼsnotreallyasurpriseforus”Sheadded

She further mentioned that the representatives brother Pyrde Henry should also be arrested as she suspects he was part of the plan to kill her husband,thegovernor

AccordingtoDelaRosa Teves brother formerNegrosOrientalGovernor PrydeHenryTeves willalsoberequiredtoattendthecourt

He added that the grieving family of the victims of the Pamplona massacre and other Negros Oriental killings, as well as Degamo's wife, Mayor JaniceDegamo willalsobecalledtotheSenateinvestigation

The panel will also obtain permission from the judge to summon the suspectswhohavebeendetained,includingMarvinMiranda

Theinvestigationisongoing butthetruthwillsooncometolight There is not much we can do besides praying for the families and souls affected by this gruesome tragedy Life is valuable because you only get one shot at living May this case be a lesson to all that no crime shall be left unpunished and that the truth will always come out one way or another Everyone will tastetheirkarmaintheend

AnOpenLettertotheSt.BridgetCollegeAdministration

Tothosewhomitmayconcern,

Someschoolsgoaboveandbeyondtomaketheirpupilsfeelcomfortableandmeettheirdemandstoprovidethegreatesteducation possible However,giventheresourcesandtraditionsthatschoolsmustconsider,thereareboundtobeinstanceswherethefacilitiesare notconstantlyintopcondition

Theseissuescannegativelyaffectthelearningcapabilityofthestudents WhenitwasannouncedthatSt BridgetCollegewouldundergo non-AirConditionedclassrooms,parentsraisedconcernsabouttheirchildren'shealth,especiallysincetherecentwarmingoftheglobe alsoaffectsthetropicalcountryweallcallhome However,thereareeconomiccontributorstowhyaschoolcannotalwaysaccommodate suchneedsinan“assoonaspossibleway”suchasmonetaryissuesorsimplytheoverallseasonandweatherconditionshappeninginthe country, which is essential to note Nevertheless, a school is created so students can gain knowledge and participate in our growing communities,andasafespacethatcaterstohealthandcomforttoensureproperlearningofthestudentsisamust

Foryoungstudentstolearn,therearemanyfactorstoconsider,someofwhicharefocusedoncreatingappropriatefacilities,resources, and materials to guarantee an ideal learning experience And with this, I urge proper maintenance, weekly check-ups, and proper limitationsaregreatwaystogoaboutthisissue,forittacklesthecomfort,health,andsafetyofthestudentsaswellaskeepingcheckofthe electricalcosts

Allthroughthetruthandthelight, TrixiAcorda EditorinChief,TheBeacon

Trixi T Acorda BellumMagnum