Janice Degamo, Roel Degamo’s Widow, Looks Forward To Proper Legal Proceedings for Justice over Husband’s Death
ROEL DEGAMO’S WIDOW – Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo reacted to the arrest of Arnie Teves in his residence in Dili, Timor-Leste.
On March 4, 2023, then Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo was gunned down in his own residence in Pamplona where his wife, Janice Degamo, was mayor. Several men barged in the residence of the Degamos and fired shots at the people there.
Aside from Degamo who was rushed to the hospital but did not make it, several other people died from the unexpected attack at the Governor’s house. Then Negros Oriental 3rd District Representative Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves was tagged as the alleged mastermind behind the slay of Degamo. Roel Degamo’s widow, Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo, called for justice for the death of her husband and several others.
However, then Congressman Arnie Teves was already out of the country when his name was dragged into the unfortinate incident that cost multiple lives. He denied the accusation but refused to return to the country to clear his name. Arnie Teves was previously held under a house arrest by a Timor-Leste court.
The Philippine government ran after Teves. The Department of Justice or DOJ filed an extradition case against Teves wherein he lost. However, his camp appealed to the Timor-Leste Court for the reversal of its decision.
The Timor-Leste Court granted the extradition of former Negros Oriental Cong. Arnie Teves again but his camp filed for another appeal to the court. Recently, countless Filipinos were shocked when the son of the former Negros Oriental Congressman announced that his father was arrested.
On social media, Axl Teves claimed that former Cong. Arnolfo Teves was rearrested in Timor-Leste without any documents or the presence of an arrest warrant. The former Negros Oriental Congressman allegedly sustained injuries from the arrest.
Teves was arrested by the immigration officers in his house in Dili. Recently, Roel Degamo’s widow, Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo who is also the Negros Oriental 3rd district Representative-elect, spoke on the arrest of Arnie Teves in Timor-Leste.
“We now look forward to the proper legal proceedings that will bring lasting peace to our province and long overdue justice for my beloved Roel and the hundreds of others who suffered at the hands of the Teves Terrorist Group,” she said.
Based on a report on GMA News, Roel Degamo’s widow said that it was believed that the arrest of former Negros Oriental Congressman Arnie Teves was due to his status as illegal alien in Timor-Leste. He allegedly has no valid Philippine passport and is a subject of alert from the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).
“This arrest is a significant step toward justice, not only for our family, but for the people of Negros Oriental and the entire nation who were shaken by the horrific footage of my husband and 9 others being mercilessly gunned down on March 4th, 2023,” the Pamplona Mayor said.
Roel Degamo’s widow reiterated their call that “those responsible for this heinous crime must be held accountable, no matter how far they run or how long they hide”. As of this writing, the camp of Teves has yet to release an update about his situation.