Robin Padilla raises idea of calling out military in Negros Oriental

Senator Robin Padilla on Wednesday raised the possibility of placing the province of Negros Oriental under military control amid the series of alleged political killings and violence in the province.

At the continuation of the Senate investigation into the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo, Padilla said that the 1987 Constitution allowed the President as commander in chief to call out the military to prevent or suppress lawless violence.

"Sa ating Konstitusyon malinaw sinasabi kapag ang isang lugar ay pinamumugaran na ng ganitong klaseng krimen pinapayagan po ang Pangulo ng Pilipinas na mag-takeover kayo at ayusin ang lugar na yan. Sa palagay ninyo di pa ito napapanahon sa Negros Oriental?" Padilla asked military officials at the hearing.

(Our Constitution is clear. If an area is infested with crimes, the President is allowed to authorize the military to take over. Do you think it is time for this in Negros Oriental?)

"Nararamdaman ko parang bulkan itong naghihintay sumabog dito sa lugar na ito. Palagay ko sa sarili kong maliit na opinyon, parang kailangan na po talaga na kayo rito ng military," he added.

(I feel the situation in the province is like a volcano waiting to explode. My opinion is we need the military there.)

In response, AFP Brigadier General Gerry Pulohanan said violence should be rampant before martial law could be implemented in an area.

“I think there’s no lawless violence yet which is quite rampant to warrant, to put the area under military control,” Pulohanan said.

“I think the proper body to determine whether [it] warrants putting the area under military control is somebody from the intelligence community, we will coordinate with the concerned intel community,” he added.

Padilla also asked Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo, the widow of the slain governor, if President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should be asked to place Negros Oriental under military control.

“Tingin ko po maybe a little bit parang one or two steps lower than martial law. I'm not very sure if a state of emergency [will do],” Degamo said.

(I think one or two steps lower than martial law. I'm not very sure if a state of emergency will do.)

“If that would hasten ‘yung gaano katagal bago talaga truly one can feel wala na talaga ang intimidation, para sa akin, in my personal point of view, okay lang ako kung ganoon na lang muna,” she added.

(If that will hasten the period of time before one can truly feel there's no more intimidation, in my personal point of view, it would be okay if that will be the case.)

On the other hand, Senator Francis Tolentino is seeking the Commission on Election’s position on the possible postponement of the 2023 BSKE in Negros Oriental.

The Senate panel has invited the Comelec in the next hearing.

Mayor Degamo and the family members of political killing victims in Negros Oriental have been attending the Senate panel’s series of hearings into the attacks and assassinations in the province.

Data presented by the PNP at the Senate hearing showed that 43 elected government officials in Negros Oriental were victims of gun attackes since 2016.

The numbers exclude the attacks on appointed government officials and civilians who were harmed or killed due to their political affiliations.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla already ordered the creation of a special task force which would handle the 23 cases of political killings in Negros Oriental, including that of Degamo.

Political angle?

Janice alleged during the hearing that allies of suspended Negros Oriental Representative Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. were involved in the assassination of former Pamplona Vice Mayor and Councilor Kent “Bongbong” Divinagracia in September 2020.

At the continuation of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs hearing on the Degamo slay case, the widow of the slain Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo said that Police Colonel Crisaleo Tolentino and his wife, former Pamplona Councilor Victoria Luz Tolentino, had been linked to Divinagracia’s killing.

They were also allegedly involved in the abduction of Police Executive Master Sergeant (PEMS) Reuel Piñero.

Police Colonel Tolentino said that he had “never been an ally or associate of Arnie Teves” and his family was close to Degamo.

He also denied claims that he provided guns for the Teveses.

“The only notable event that made them angry at me is when Sgt. Reuel Piñero, the bodyguard of Governor Degamo, sought my assistance concerning his reassignment to NCRPO and his safety. Sgt. Piñero was considered that time a person of interest in the murder of radio commentator Rex Cornelo Pepino, who was known to be critical of the Degamos,” Tolentino said.

Governor Degamo was talking to beneficiaries of the government's Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) program at his residence in Pamplona, Negros Oriental on March 4, when armed men barged in and fired shots. The attack also left eight other people dead. —NB, GMA Integrated News