'President's Close Ally' Philippine Governor Shot Dead by Assailants

President Marcos: "We Will Definitely Catch and Punish Criminals"

Roel Degamo, governor of Negros Oriental province in central Philippines, was shot and killed by assailants.

On the 4th, AFP and local media reported that Governor Degamo lost his life after being shot by assailants while conducting relief activities for the poor in his district.

Five people around him also died, and four others were reported to have been injured by gunfire and taken to the hospital.

Degamo's wife announced her husband's death on Facebook, saying, "He was serving the local people. He should not have died like this."

Governor Degamo was a political ally of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. He also campaigned in support of Marcos in the presidential election held last May.

Roel Degamo, Governor of Negros Oriental, who was shot and killed by assailants
[Image source=Captured from the Philippine Star website, Yonhap News]

President Marcos, upon hearing the news of Governor Degamo's death, stated, "We will definitely catch the criminals and ensure they face the judgment of justice."

Local police are pursuing 10 suspects, including six men who fired guns at the scene. It is reported that they fled immediately after the crime in a pickup truck and an SUV (sports utility vehicle), abandoned the vehicles in a nearby city, and escaped on foot.

Benjamin Abalos, Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, urged, "Please allow the police to carry out justice," and called for eyewitnesses to come forward with information.

In the Philippines, incidents of prominent politicians being shot and killed occur frequently. In February of this year, Maminte Adiong, governor of Lanao del Sur province in the south, was wounded by gunfire from assailants, and three police officers and a driver present at the scene were killed.