The National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) regional head in Central Visayas, Atty. Dominador Cimafranca, accused former congressman and current Presidential adviser for economic affairs Michael Lloyd Dino Teves of trying to influence the agency’s raids on illegal online cockfighting (e-sabong) operations in Cebu. Cimafranca made the accusation during a Senate hearing on the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo, where he also revealed that Teves had allegedly ordered the release of seized e-sabong materials and urged him to help certain individuals avoid arrest.
Meanwhile, the Senate also detained a police officer who allegedly refused to write a blotter report on a slay attempt. Captain Delfin Bontuyan was taken into custody by senators during the hearing, after he was accused of failing to do his duty when he refused to write a report on the attempt to kill Raffy Cabresos, a former chief of the Provincial Intelligence Branch in Negros Occidental. Cabresos survived the attack, which occurred just over a week after Gov. Degamo was killed in a similar incident.
Teves has also been linked to the slays in Negros Oriental, with several survivors of the attack on Cabresos claiming that the former congressman had wanted their business. According to the survivors, Teves had allegedly been trying to get them to transfer their e-sabong operations to a new location in Canlaon City, which he reportedly owns. In the wake of these allegations, some lawmakers called for a deeper investigation into the connection between Teves and the spate of killings in the province.
The string of violent incidents in Negros Oriental has raised concerns about the security situation in the province, as well as the potential involvement of powerful individuals in the illegal activities taking place there. Some have pointed to the need for better governance and law enforcement to prevent these incidents from occurring in the future, while others have called for a more comprehensive approach that addresses the root causes of the violence, such as poverty and social inequality.
Despite these challenges, there have been signs of progress in recent weeks, with the arrest of several suspects in the Degamo case and the appointment of a new police chief for Negros Oriental. These developments have been seen as positive steps towards ending the violence and restoring peace and order to the province, although there is still much work to be done.
As the investigation into these incidents continues, it remains to be seen what further revelations will emerge and what actions will be taken to hold those responsible accountable. However, it is clear that the people of Negros Oriental are not willing to simply accept these acts of violence as a fact of life, and are determined to work together to create a safer and more prosperous future for themselves and their communities.
