The wife of the late Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo, Congresswoman-elect Janice Degamo expressed gratitude to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and his administration for facilitating the return of expelled Congressman Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. to the Philippines.
In an interview with Dos Por Dos on Friday, May 30, Degamo emphasized that after a long wait, real progress is finally being made in the pursuit of justice for her husband and other victims of political violence in Negros Oriental.
“Sa ating government po, we are grateful for sending him home, talagang walang kalalagyan yung kagalakan namin” Degamo said.
“Thank you to President ‘Bongbong’ Marcos and the entire administration of the Marcos administration,” she added.
She highlighted the administration's role in putting the spotlight on the province’s long standing issues of political violence and lawlessness, particularly in the third district.
"Ang tagal naming pinag-pray po. Ang tagal naming naging hopeful then hopeless,” she recalled her family's long struggle for justice.
Meanwhile, Degamo acknowledged that while the return of Teves cannot bring her husband back, it represents a critical first step toward restoring order and accountability especially in the province.
“Kaya ngayon, there's reason to rejoice. Hindi na po ‘drawing’ ang pagharap niya sa korte mangyayari na talaga. Sana po ay maging marathon hearing ito dahil ang tagal na po naming naghintay,” she stressed.
Degamo also pointed out that Arnie Teves and his brother, Negros Oriental Governor Pryde Henry Teves, have long been associated with violence in the province, specifically the proliferation of firearms and a series of killings.
“Historically, even when different politicians were in conflict, dito lang talaga this kind lang talaga ito sila Henry at Arnie ‘yun lang talaga yung nagdadala ng mga katakot-takot na mga guns, patayan," she pointed out.
She reiterated that the citizen in Negros Oriental may now feel safer, hoping the arrest of Teves will lead to justice and peace in te province.
Arnie Teves is the alleged mastermind behind the assassination of Governor Roel Degamo and other nine individuals on March 4 2023.
After two years of evading the Philippine authorities, Teves was arrested on Tuesday night, May 27 by the Timor Leste police, and was returned to the country on Thursday night, May 29 and currently detained in the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Teves is set to face charges for multiple counts of murder, and has been tagged as “terrorist” along 12 others by the Anti-Terrorism Council.
