An investigation will be launched into the absence of five members of the late Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo's security detail on the day he was killed.
Col. Jean Pajardo, a spokesperson for the Philippine National Police (PNP), told reporters on Saturday that according to the information they received, the members of Degamo's security were supposed to report on the same day of the incident, but they did not show up for work.
They also included the information they received, according to Fajardo.
Senator JV Ejercito tweeted last Saturday that only one of the PNP personnel assigned to Degamo was present at the time of the ambush, emphasizing the need to investigate the five for allegedly "conspiring with the mastermind."
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos has already directed the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to track down and account for the security personnel.
Two more firearms allegedly used in the crime were recovered last Friday in Sitio Palasanun, Barangay Cansumalig in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental, according to the Degamo special investigation task force.
The House of Representatives must investigate the mystery surrounding the sudden disappearance or failure of Degamo's police escorts, said Speaker Martin Romualdez yesterday.
According to the Speaker, the investigation will seek not only to determine the reason for the questionable actions of the PNP's security personnel assigned to Degamo but also to ensure that all government officials in danger are adequately protected.
Romualdez drew parallels between Degamo's murder and the assassination of Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe, who was running for mayor of Daraga, Albay, in 2019.
The report said that despite threats to his life, two of Batocabe's three police escorts were pulled out days before he was fatally shot.
The House Speaker condemned Degamo's death and urged the PNP leadership to act quickly to bring the perpetrators to justice and restore peace and order in the province.
