By Robert B. Roque, Jr.
Suspended Congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr., for all his past antics on Youtube and Facebook, now has the spotlight of the whole nation on himself as the “Big Boss,” the “Boss Idol” and “Kalbo” — purportedly the references to him by the killers of Gov. Roel Degamo.
If his online raffling of gifts and cash, his word war with the Tulfos, and taunting of his colleagues in the House did not draw him enough attention as he wills, being tagged as the mastermind in what is now known as the Pamplona Massacre has.
I don’t mean to be judgmental, but Teves never brushed off as the nice bald guy like The Rock. On the contrary, his air and aura always seemed suspicious and dark, like Lex Luthor.
Now that he is suspected to be the brains behind an evil crime that killed the Negros Oriental governor and eight of their province mates, I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts faking aphasia or dementia — the condition that now afflicts another famous bald action star, Bruce Willis, with loss of memory, comprehension, and language expression.
If he goes for an insanity plea, I doubt anybody would be surprised either. He could act like a John Malkovich character. But that’s a patsy way of marching his feet to a lock-up, where — who knows? — he might be seen as a RuPaul!
Again, no prejudgment here; just poker game ideas going off among friends that I cared to share in this corner while Teves is more concerned about hiding than coming out and being bald.
‘Devils’ identified
The banter about Cong Arnie in betting or beer-drinking huddles is just making light of a mentally disturbing crime in which he is implicated. It’s so gruesome and heartless you would not have imagined the face of the monster capable of plotting it.
According to the top-level task force investigating it, the plot to kill Degamo was hatched as early as October 2022. Trained shooters were recruited into the hit team from then until March 2, a couple of days before the attack was carried out.
But before the March 4 bloodbath, there were two failed attempts to assassinate the governor, according to Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla. Eleven suspects are in the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). However, based on CCTV footage of the attack, what is sure is that six of them have been identified on the ground.
These “devils,” as Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos refer to, are Benjie Rodriguez, Joven Javier, Winrich Isturis, Eulogio Gonyon, Jr., Osmundo Rivero, Romel Pattaguan. But among the 11, the alleged link to Teves is Marvin Miranda, who formed and orchestrated the attack.
Lawyer Levito Baligod, who represents the Degamo family, said some witnesses would swear that other police officers had served as lookouts during the heartless shooting. Abalos wants them identified and immediately suspended pending investigation.
More killings
Remulla has repeatedly stressed that Cong. Arnie is the principal accused in three murders in 2019. For now, that’s how many can be tied with sufficient evidence to Teves, his sons Kurt Matthew and Axel, and their associates.
But the Justice chief mentions 64 more killings in the province of Negros Oriental rooted in politics and disputes on large tracts of land.
Mayors of the province have rallied behind the slain governor’s widow, Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo, who urged a deeper investigation into the violence her husband tried to arrest during his tenure.
She says a congressional inquiry is in order, claiming that land-grabbing is to blame for all the blood drawn to water the province’s killing fields. Mayor Degamo dares to point in the direction of the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Agrarian Reform (DAR) for answers.
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