In a significant legal development, the Court of Appeals has firmly rejected the appeal of two suspects involved in the brutal assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo on March 4, 2023. The 33-page ruling from the appellate court’s 4th Division dismissed the plea by Joric Labrador and Benjie Rodriguez, who were captured on video participating in the attack on Degamo’s residence in Barangay San Isidro, Pamplona, Negros Oriental. The attack not only claimed the life of Governor Degamo but also resulted in the deaths of eight others and left 17 people injured, who were waiting to receive financial assistance at the governor’s home. The Court of Appeals upheld the decision of Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 40 Judge Rebecca Guillen-Ubaña, who had previously denied a motion to quash the charges against the suspects. The appellate court found no evidence of coercion in the confessions of Labrador and Rodriguez, emphasizing that the detailed accounts of their involvement in the assassination plot were too specific to be fabricated under duress. The court highlighted that the suspects were informed of their rights and were assisted by lawyers from the Public Attorney’s Office during their confessions. Other suspects in the case have also recanted their statements, which implicated political rivals of Degamo, including former Representative Arnolfo Teves and former Governor Henry Pryde Teves. The government is currently working on bringing Teves back to the Philippines after he sought asylum in Timor Leste.
Court of Appeals Rejects Plea of Degamo Assassins: Justice Prevails in High-Profile Case
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