President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. on Monday said he ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Interior Secretary Benjamin 'Benhur' Abalos to identify the “political hotspots” or the areas where violence against local executives happens.
The order comes after the brutal murder of former Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo, who was part of the Marcos-Duterte coalition "Uniteam" during the May 2022 elections.
"Ang sinabi ko is to now make an examination, kagaya nung ginagawa 'pag darating ang eleksyon, kung saan ang hotspot. Sabi ko gawin niyo uli ngayon, don’t think of elections first. But think kung ano ‘yung mga hotspot, ‘yung mga mainit na lugar," Marcos told reporters in an interview.
The President said he also gave a search order for illegal firearms and dismantled them.
Marcos once again condemned the death of the former Negros Oriental governor, adding that perpetrators "cannot go unpunished."
He shared that he was surprised by the closed-circuit camera (CCTV) footage of the actual shooting.
"This [act] does not belong in our society. Hindi na pwede yung ganyan kaya't hindi natin pababayaan," Marcos said.
On Saturday morning, March 4, group of men wearing pixelated uniforms and in full gear entered in Degamo’s residential compound in Negros Oriental.
The group fired shots at Degamo and nine other victims.
As of this writing, authorities have arrested the three suspects while the fourth suspect died in an encounter.
