Witnesses to the Pamplona massacre and other killings in Negros Oriental traveled to Manila on Saturday, two days before a Senate hearing and preliminary investigation into the shooting deaths of Governor Roel Degamo and eight others last month.
A group of about 40 people, led by Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo, the late governor's wife, boarded a Philippine Air Force C-130 plane at the Dumaguete-Sibulan airport here at 10:30 a.m.
They are slated to attend the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs hearing on Monday, as well as the DOJ hearings, Degamo said in an interview soon before their departure.
While the two operations are focused on the Pamplona massacre, she stated that earlier homicides in Negros Oriental would also be probed since she believes many of them are linked.
Some massacre survivors and families of dead victims, as well as the next-of-kin of past shooting occurrences, including one involving a murdered media practitioner, were seen at the airport prior to departure.
Degamo stated that they are planning 10 days of marathon Senate hearings, but she has no clue how long the probe will take.
She expressed her dissatisfaction with Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr.'s video conference attendance, saying it is unfair for him to be allowed to participate virtually while she and the others spend time, money, and effort to drop everything just to attend in person.
Meanwhile, Teves is suspected of being the mastermind of the Pamplona massacre.
Despite the expiration of his travel authorization and the 60-day suspension imposed by Congress, he has yet to return to the Philippines.
Mayor Degamo expressed optimism that the Senate investigation will help bring justice to her late husband and all other victims of violence in the region.
