Photos courtesy of Joint Task Force Negros
Photos courtesy of Joint Task Force Negros
Photos courtesy of Joint Task Force Negros
Photos courtesy of Joint Task Force Negros
Photos courtesy of Joint Task Force Negros
MANILA — Authorities on Thursday recovered documents and other items allegedly belonging to the suspected gunmen who killed Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo in the sugar mill compound reportedly owned by former governor Pryde Henry Teves, the Joint Task Force (JTF) Negros said.
In a report released Thursday evening, JTF Negros said personnel of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) found several identification cards and burned clothes supposedly belonging to Degamo's alleged killers.
Authorities also recovered a silencer, soldering iron, a flash drive, rifle cleaning equipment, caliber .45 cartridges, a Swiss knife, and a tucker used for target papers.
PNP-CIDG personnel have been searching Teves' 50-hectare sugar mill compound in southern Santa Catalina town in Negros Oriental since Friday.
Several high-powered firearms, thousands of live ammunition, explosives, and stacks of cash amounting to P18 million were previously recovered in the compound.
Three members of Teves' personal guards had been also arrested in the week-long ng search, among them Nigel Electona, head of his security detail.
Teves earlier clarified that he only partly owns the sugar mill, where he has a 10-percent share.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Teves' camp surrendered 18 of his guns to the police station in Bayawan City where he once served as mayor. This was after the PNP revoked his License To Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF).
In an effort to clear his name, the former governor had also filed on Tuesday a waiver allowing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to probe into his phone and bank records.
Teves' older brother, suspended Negros Oriental Third District Rep. Arnolfo "Arnie" Teves Jr., has been implicated in Degamo's slay.
The younger Teves served as Negros Oriental's chief executive for only 3 months until he was unseated by Degamo after a recount of the May 2022 gubernatorial race. He voluntarily left the governorship after a weeklong standoff at the provincial capitol in Dumaguete City.
Charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives may possibly be filed against the former governor over the weapons and contraband items seized in his property in the past week.
But Teves declined to comment on the possible charges, saying he would only answer the allegations once the official complaints were filed.
"It's better to answer officially when there's an official paper that says you are being charged with something," he told reporters on Monday.
He had also urged his brother Rep. Teves to return to the Philippines, as his family was already affected by allegations of the embattled lawmaker's supposed involvement in the Degamo killing and the 2019 murder of another local politician.
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