Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office has vowed to protect witnesses in the Senate hearing on the assassination of Governor Roel Degamo and other killings in the Philippines’ province. Witnesses include those who were seeking justice for the murder of relatives as well as the governor’s widow, Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo. Security measures include uniformed personnel putting in regular visits to the witnesses’ homes, strengthening of checkpoints, continuous mobile patrols, and intelligence monitoring. Police are investigating the alleged firing of a gun at a residence in Purok Gumamela, Barangay Candau-ay in Dumaguete City.

The Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) has vowed to ensure the safety of witnesses in the Senate hearing on the assassination of Gov. Roel Degamo and other killings in the Philippine province. NOPPO provincial director Police Col. Alex Guce Recinto stated the police would try their best to keep witness safe, regardless of their political affiliation or background. Sixty people, including the governor’s widow, Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo, arrived in Negros Oriental on a Philippine Air Force C-130 aircraft on Friday morning from Metro Manila for the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs hearings. Security measures in place include uniformed personnel visiting witnesses’ homes, strengthened checkpoints, mobile patrols, and intelligence monitoring. Witnesses were urged to report any suspicious activity or persons and to take the necessary precautions when leaving their homes. The Philippine Army had also been asked to provide assistance, particularly for witnesses in remote barangays.