A Manila regional trial court has found three former soldiers guilty of illegally possessing firearms and explosives connected to the deadly March 4, 2023 assault on the home of the late Governor Roel Degamo in Pamplona, Negros Oriental — delivering what the Department of Justice described as a firm rebuke of impunity in one of the country’s most high-profile political killings in recent memory.
The DOJ announced in a press release issued Tuesday that the Regional Trial Court of Manila, Branch 40 convicted Joric Garrido Labrador, Joven Calibjo Javier, and Benjie Rodriguez on separate charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition under Section 28 of Republic Act No. 10591, known as the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, and unlawful possession of explosives under Section 3 of Presidential Decree No. 1866, as amended by Republic Act No. 9516.
Sentences Handed Down
According to the DOJ press release, Labrador received a prison term of eight to ten years for the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. Javier and Rodriguez were each sentenced to reclusion perpetua for unlawful possession of explosives — the most severe penalty that Philippine courts may impose following the abolition of capital punishment, carrying a term of 20 to 40 years behind bars.
The court ruled that both offenses had been proven beyond reasonable doubt, the DOJ said.
Arrests Made Within Hours of the Pamplona Shooting
The DOJ said that law enforcement officers responded immediately after being notified of the attack on Degamo’s residence in Pamplona. In the course of their rapid investigation, authorities seized a .45 caliber pistol, two magazines containing 14 rounds of live ammunition, and two hand grenades from the three accused.
All three men — described in the DOJ press release as former soldiers who had been discharged from military service prior to the attack — were arrested in Bayawan City within hours of the shooting. Their status as former military personnel was noted by the court in the context of the evidence presented against them.
Court Upholds Warrantless Arrests and Chain of Custody
The defense mounted a legal challenge against the validity of the warrantless arrests and raised questions about how the seized items were handled — issues that formed the crux of the legal dispute before Branch 40.
The court rejected both arguments. It ruled that the warrantless arrests were lawful because the circumstances formed a continuous and unbroken sequence of events — from the shooting itself, through the review of closed-circuit television footage, to the active pursuit of the getaway vehicles. On that basis, the court determined that the chain of custody over the recovered weapons and explosives had been properly established through the testimony of police officers and other witnesses, the DOJ said.
DOJ Chief Issues Warning on Impunity
DOJ Secretary Fredderick A. Vida issued a statement responding to the verdicts, drawing a firm line on accountability. “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 official press release.
The secretary’s remarks underscored the DOJ’s position that the prosecutions stemming from the Pamplona attack would be pursued at every level, regardless of the status of the accused.
Murder Charges Still Pending Before Separate Court
The Tuesday convictions address only the illegal firearms and explosives charges. The DOJ confirmed that the multiple murder, frustrated murder, and attempted murder cases directly arising from the Pamplona attack remain pending before a separate Manila court.
The March 4, 2023 assault claimed the lives of Degamo and nine other individuals and left more than a dozen wounded — many of them residents who had gathered at the governor’s compound to receive aid. Those cases, which carry the heavier moral and legal weight in terms of accountability for the deaths, have yet to be resolved.
Negros Oriental Third District Representative Janice Degamo, widow of the slain governor, was the first to publicly announce the convictions, doing so through a Facebook statement on the evening of September 3. She described the verdicts as an important reminder that justice does not forget.
Teves Still Detained; Prior Acquittal Treated as Separate Matter
Former Negros Oriental Third District Representative Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr., whom prosecutors have tagged as an alleged mastermind of the Pamplona attack, remains in detention. In January 2026, Manila RTC Branch 15 acquitted Teves and two co-accused in an unrelated 2019 murder case in Dumaguete City after granting a demurrer to evidence.
The DOJ stated at the time that the acquittal in that separate case had no bearing on the ongoing Degamo prosecution, which is being managed independently by a different court and a distinct set of charges.
By the Numbers
- 10 — total people killed in the March 4, 2023 Pamplona attack, including former Governor Degamo
- 3 — individuals convicted by Manila RTC Branch 40 on firearms and explosives charges
- 2 — convicted men sentenced to reclusion perpetua for unlawful possession of explosives
- 8 to 10 years — prison term imposed on Labrador for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition
- 14 — rounds of live ammunition recovered along with a .45 caliber pistol, two magazines, and two hand grenades
- January 2026 — when Manila RTC Branch 15 acquitted Teves in the separate 2019 Dumaguete City murder case
Why This Matters
These convictions represent the first formal court judgments tied directly to physical evidence recovered in connection with the March 2023 Pamplona attack, cementing a legal record that validates both the warrantless arrests and the integrity of seized weapons and explosives. The ruling does not yet resolve who bears responsibility for the deaths of Degamo and nine others — that determination rests with the court still hearing the murder cases — but it establishes that the judicial process is advancing on multiple tracks simultaneously. For the DOJ, the verdicts reinforce its stated commitment to pursuing all criminal liability arising from the attack, at every level of participation.
Source: Department of Justice Philippines / DOJ press release, as reported by BNNO
