BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – The 4 March 2023 massacre that took place in Pamplona town had raised discussions and issues on the political rivalry between the Teveses and the Degamos.
Here is a background on the post poll protest filed by slain Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo that led to the unseating of Pryde Henry Teves.
Negros Oriental Third District Rep. Arnulfo Teves, in his video statement addressing claims implicating him in the killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, said that if he had the capacity and the motive to have the governor killed, he would have done so before the 2022 polls. (READ also: Arnie Teves breaks silence on Degamo slay; insists that somebody is trying to implicate him in killing)
He also pointed out that his brother, Pryde Henry, was the real winner during the 2022 elections.
Teves was referring to the outcome of the 2022 polls when Henry was unseated after the Commission on Elections granted the petition filed by Degamo to declare a similarly named candidate, Ruel Degamo (real name Grego Gaudia) a nuisance.
The Comelec had in fact granted the petition to declare Ruel a nuisance on 16 December 2021, months before the actual polls in May. However, the name of Ruel Degamo remained in the official ballots during election day.
On September of 2022, Comelec ruled with finality the case of Ruel Degamo aka Grego Gaudia.
In the initial canvassing, Teves, who ran under the Nationalist People’s Coalition, was the winner with the highest number of votes at 301,319, followed by Degamo, who ran under Nacionalista, with 281,773.
Ruel Degamo was third with 49,953 votes while Edward Mark Macias was last with 45,454.
With the declaration of Ruel Degamo as nuisance, his votes were counted in favor of the incumbent.
The 49,000+ credited to the incumbent governor was enough to surpass Teves’.
Degamo took his oath of office on 5 October 2022. Teves had initially refused to give up his seat and had in fact filed an appeal before the Supreme Court against Comelec and Gov. Degamo for grave abuse of discretion.
Teves relinquished his post, but only after calls from other quarters like the Department of Interior and Local Government to do so.
The SC eventually acted on Teves’ appeal last 14 February 2023.
