Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla FILE PHOTO
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Friday said the case of the March 4 assassination of former Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo is now 鈥�99-percent solved,鈥� following the arrest of 鈥渙ne of the masterminds.鈥�
The justice chief did not disclose the identity of the suspect but said he had been 鈥渙n the run鈥� and was finally caught by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation also on Friday.
鈥淭丑别 NBI was able to catch a main player. A name we have not discussed, we have never discussed here. But practically, I would say in my own reading of the situation, one of the masterminds was caught today,鈥� Remulla told reporters during an ambush interview.
The suspect 鈥渇igures in the statements made by the others 鈥� in custody already,鈥� he also said, referring to the 10 suspected assassins, most of them former Army soldiers, already in the NBI鈥檚 custody.
This mastermind 鈥渨as far outside of Negros Oriental already and for the last three weeks we were on his trail,鈥� Remulla added.
He said there were two to three other 鈥渕asterminds鈥� behind Degamo鈥檚 murder, but Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. remains 鈥渋n the middle of everything鈥� in the case.
READ: Remulla: Suspects鈥� statements lead to Teves鈥� 鈥榗ertain involvement鈥� in Degamo slay
Firearms collected
Teves has been out of the country since the murder of his political rival. Remulla and other officials, including Teves鈥� colleagues in the House of Representatives who suspended him on March 22, have urged the congressman to return home.
READ: Authorities raid houses of Rep. Teves due to loose firearms
On March 10, police raided two houses and a beach resort in his name, finding 16 assorted firearms and some 600 rounds of ammunition.
Two weeks later, police raided the estate of Teves鈥� younger brother, Pryde Henry, and found P19 million in cash, 19 firearms and about 10,000 rounds of ammunition.
But there were 18 more firearms which a secretary of Pryde Henry turned over to the Bayawan City police this week, said its chief, Lt. Col. Stephen Amamag-id.
READ: Guns seized as cops raid home of another Teves
The weapons consist of seven long firearms, including an M4 assault rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun, as well as 11 handguns.
Amamag-id said the weapons were registered and licensed. 鈥淏ut the problem was the License To Own And Possess Firearms [had been] revoked by the PNP (Philippine National Police),鈥� he said.
The raid on Teves鈥� estate also led to the confiscation of identification cards (IDs) and other 鈥減artially burned documents鈥� allegedly belonging to the detained suspects in the Degamo murder.
Among these were three IDs and an ATM card belonging to a certain 鈥淛hudiel Rojas Rivero,鈥� whom the police identified on Thursday as Osmundo Rivero, one of the 10 suspects in the government鈥檚 custody.
READ: Abalos: Authorities also find improvised explosives at Teves鈥� brother property
Also found was a certificate of completion for a Scout Ranger training program belonging to Joven Javier, another of the detained suspects.
Rivero and Javier, both discharged Army soldiers, were among the first suspects to be arrested, hours after Degamo鈥檚 killing at his home in Pamplona, Negros Oriental.
As of Friday, police are still occupying Teves鈥� estate, which covers 52 hectares and not five as earlier reported, according to the property owner himself.
Teves also denied having anything to do with the weapons seized in his property.
Cooperation
In a TV interview on Thursday, he said he was opening the records of his company, HDJ Bayawan Agri-Ventures Corp., to investigators. The company runs the sugar mill in his estate.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so that we can go on smoothly with what we are doing. Because of the heavy presence of uniformed personnel in the compound, many of our farmers and clients are afraid to do business with us,鈥� he said.
The younger Teves also signed a waiver of confidentiality allowing the Department of Justice (DOJ) access to his bank accounts and phone records.
鈥擶ITH A REPORT FROM ADOR VINCENT MAYOL
RELATED STORIES
DOJ: We have 10 witnesses linking Teves to Degamo slay
Remulla: Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. 鈥榖eing considered鈥� as among masterminds in Degamo slay