Gov. Aris Aumentado is resisting the plan of the police hierarchy for deployment of Bohol police personnel to Negros Oriental.
“We will not allow nga atong mga pulis i-reassign sa Negros Oriental,” he told media interview at the new Capitol where he met with municipal mayors last March 8.
The move to deploy Bohol policemen to Negros Oriental particularly Bayawan City came in the aftermath of the daring assassination of Governor Roel R. Degamo.
Aumentado said that the provincial governors of Central Visayas were shocked to know of the police deployment plan that involved almost 400 policemen from Bohol without prior consultation.
He said that he asked police regional director PGen. Bearis for consideration. The latter in turn informed police national chief PGen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr, who was in Bohol recently, of his request opposing the deployment.
The governor said that Bohol needs police personnel considering that the ASEAN officials will be coming to Bohol as one of the hosts for a very important gathering to tackle intellectual property rights-related issues.
He questioned why it is Bohol that is being “punished” for the lapses, if any, of the Negros Oriental police force.
“Why don’t they mobilize police personnel of nearby provinces, like Negros Occidental?”, the governor asked.
But if there should be a re-assignment of Bohol police to Negros Oriental, Aumentado said it may only be for augmentation, but not entirely.
He said that his stand against the deployment of hundreds of Boholano police force to Negros Oriental is an expression of support for the police personnel’s sentiment.
A day before, the governor alerted local officials not to let their guards down after Degamo’s slay.
The governor met with police led by provincial director Col. Lorenzo Batuan to tackle the peace and order situation in the province.
Degamo was shot dead right inside his compound in barangay Isidro, Pamplona town while distributing assistance to beneficiaries Saturday morning. He was pronounced dead later that afternoon.
The hot pursuit ensued and resulted to the arrest of three of at least 10 suspects namely Joric Labrador y Garido, 50, male, married and a resident of Cagayan de Oro; Joven Aber y Calibjo, 42, male, married, a native Negros Occidental and resident of Brgy. Robles, La Castellana, Negros Occidental; and Benjie Rodriguez y Buladola, 45, male, a native of Bonifacio, Misamis Occidental and a resident of Mindanao. Both Labrador and Aber were former Army soldiers dismissed for misconduct.
They were cornered in Sitio Punong, Baranrgay Cansumalig, Bayawan City at past 4 in the afternoon on the same day.
A fourth suspect was killed when he resisted arrest and has remained unidentified until the time of this writing.
Another suspect arrested in connection with the killing identified as Osmundo Rojas Rivero brought to four those already in custody.
The four suspects have been transferred to Camp Crame. Two of them are being evaluated for inclusion under the Witness Protection Progra
