The Department of Justice has secured the conviction of three men on firearms and explosives charges stemming from the March 4, 2023 attack on the residence of former Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo in Pamplona, with two of the accused sentenced to reclusion perpetua — the heaviest penalty available under Philippine law.
In a press release issued Tuesday, the DOJ said the Regional Trial Court of Manila, Branch 40 found Joric Garrido Labrador, Joven Calibjo Javier, and Benjie Rodriguez guilty in separate cases for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition under Section 28 of Republic Act No. 10591, the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, and for unlawful possession of explosives under Section 3 of Presidential Decree No. 1866, as amended by Republic Act No. 9516.
Two Receive Reclusion Perpetua, One Gets Up to Ten Years
Labrador was sentenced to eight to ten years of imprisonment for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. Javier and Rodriguez were each sentenced to reclusion perpetua for unlawful possession of explosives, according to the DOJ press release.
Reclusion perpetua, which carries a prison term of 20 to 40 years, is the heaviest penalty imposable under Philippine law following the abolition of the death penalty.
Weapons Seized Hours After the Pamplona Attack
According to the DOJ, law enforcement officers were immediately notified of the shooting at the Degamo residence in Pamplona and launched a rapid investigation. Authorities recovered a .45 caliber pistol, two magazines, 14 rounds of live ammunition, and two hand grenades from the three accused.
The three men — all former soldiers who had been discharged from military service years before the attack — were arrested in Bayawan City within hours of the shooting. The court held that both offenses were proven beyond reasonable doubt.
Court Rejects Defense Challenge on Arrest and Evidence Handling
The defense had challenged the legality of the warrantless arrests and the handling of the seized items, which formed the central legal dispute in the case.
The court upheld the validity of the warrantless arrests, ruling that the circumstances constituted a continuous sequence of events — running from the shooting, to the review of CCTV footage, to the pursuit of the getaway vehicles. On that basis, it determined that the recovered items were properly identified and that their chain of custody was sufficiently established through the testimonies of police officers and other witnesses.
DOJ Secretary Warns Against Impunity
DOJ Secretary Fredderick A. Vida responded to the convictions with a pointed statement. "Impunity should never triumph over justice. We shall hold accountable anyone who transgresses the rule of law," Vida said, as quoted in the department's press release.
Murder Cases Remain Pending in Separate Court
The convictions cover only the firearms and explosives charges. The multiple murder, frustrated murder, and attempted murder cases arising from the Pamplona attack — which killed Degamo and nine others and wounded more than a dozen people who had lined up for aid at his compound — remain pending before a separate Manila court.
Negros Oriental Third District Representative Janice Degamo, the late governor's widow, first disclosed the convictions publicly in a Facebook statement on the evening of September 3, calling the verdicts an important reminder that justice does not forget.
Teves Remains in Detention; Prior Acquittal Deemed Separate
Former Negros Oriental Third District Representative Arnolfo "Arnie" Teves Jr., tagged by prosecutors as an alleged mastermind in the Pamplona attack, remains in detention. In January 2026, Manila RTC Branch 15 acquitted Teves and two co-accused in a separate 2019 murder case in Dumaguete City after granting their demurrer to evidence.
The DOJ said at the time that the acquittal had no bearing on the Degamo prosecution, which is being handled independently by a different court.
By the Numbers
- 10 — total number of people killed in the March 4, 2023 Pamplona attack, including former Governor Degamo
- 3 — accused convicted by Manila RTC Branch 40 on firearms and explosives charges
- 2 — accused sentenced to reclusion perpetua for unlawful possession of explosives
- 8 to 10 years — prison sentence imposed on Labrador for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition
- 2 — hand grenades recovered from the accused along with a .45 caliber pistol, two magazines, and 14 rounds of live ammunition
- January 2026 — date Manila RTC Branch 15 acquitted Teves in a separate 2019 Dumaguete City murder case
Why This Matters
The convictions mark the first court verdicts directly tied to evidence recovered in connection with the March 2023 Pamplona attack, one of the most high-profile political killings in recent Philippine history. While the murder cases that will determine accountability for the deaths of Degamo and nine others remain unresolved, the DOJ has established a legal record affirming the validity of the warrantless arrests and the integrity of the seized evidence. The outcome reinforces the government's stated position that those involved in the attack at any level will face prosecution under existing law.
Photo credit: Photo courtesy of the Department of Justice / DOJ Philippines