INTERIOR Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. yesterday said the political tension in Negros Oriental has “de-escalated” following the decision of Gov. Pryde Henry Teves to step down and give way to the peaceful transition of power to former Gov. Roel Degamo.
“We are thankful that the governorship dispute in Negros Oriental has been resolved, with Teves respecting and adhering to the Comelec (Commission on Elections) ruling proclaiming Degamo as the duly elected governor of the province,” said Abalos said in a statement.
In a virtual media forum, the DILG chief also said: “I would like to thank Gov. Teves for stepping down last night (Tuesday night) for the peaceful resolution of this (issue).”
“He is a true gentleman, he is a man of his word, he stepped down. Of course, there are some issues that they would like to tackle with the legal issues,” said Abalos.
“One thing I could assure you (public) is that there is always a rule of law, and our department is committed to implement whatever will be the judgement of our courts. That is what our department will do. Rest assured that there will be peace if we are going to follow the law,” he also said.
Teves on Tuesday night gave way to Degamo after the Supreme Court did not issue a temporary restraining order on the implementation of the Commission on Election’s (Comelec) decision declaring the latter as the duly elected governor of Negros Oriental.
The Comelec has invalidated the victory of Teves during the May elections after declaring one “Ruel Degamo” as a nuisance candidate and awarding his 49,039 votes to the former governor’s 277,462 votes, giving him a total of 326,501 votes against Teves’ 296,897 votes.
Abalos has earlier issued an order directing Teves to step aside pending the resolution of the legal issues on the matter.
Abalos thanked DILG Central Visayas director Leocadio Trovela and local government officials for their role in the transition.
“With this positive development, the delivery of local government services in the province will no longer be disrupted. We appeal to the supporters of both Degamo and Teves to set aside politics and to work in unison for the benefit and welfare of all Negrenses,” added Abalos.
