LAGIM: A Filipino True Crime · LAGIM Podcast

The Pamplona Massacre and Killing of Roel Degamo

·1 hr 12 min·4 clips

Six men in military uniform knocked at Governor Rubel de Gamo's gate before the shooting began.

Lagim opens by placing the Pamplona Massacre inside the Philippines' long history of bitter political clans. The episode makes clear that the show resists covering these cases because they so often center on men who cling to power for themselves rather than their constituents. It then points to the way such rivalries do not stay contained. Innocent people are usually pulled into the violence with them. The Maguindanao Massacre is used as a reminder of what this kind of power struggle can become. The narrative then turns to March 2023 and the killing of Governor Roel Digamo. The event is presented as a brutal escalation that leaves little confidence that justice will come easily. From there, the episode follows the developing accusations around the case. It discusses Tevez as a figure with strong political connections and ties through security and bodyguard work. It also brings in Miranda, whose criminal record and prior identification by Digamo are treated as part of the chain of suspicion. The show explains why the justice department believed Miranda's arrest closed a crucial gap. It notes that Miranda was charged with nine counts of murder, 13 counts of frustrated murder, and four counts of attempted murder. The episode also situates Tevez inside a broader pattern of criminal allegations. News reports about earlier murder charges in Negros Oriental and additional weapons-related accusations are brought into the picture. The narration treats these details as part of a larger culture of impunity. That framing matters because the case is not presented as a one-off act of violence. It is presented as a system revealing itself under pressure. The episode also follows the political fallout. Digamo's family is shown pushing for Tevez's expulsion from the House of Representatives. At the same time, the narration is careful about the legal status of the accusations. It keeps reminding the listener that no murder charges had yet been filed against Tevez. The result is a measured account of a killing that became a test of political accountability. The episode ends with the sense that the case is still tied to unresolved questions of power, evidence, and consequence.

As heard by us

A political killing expanded into a stark story of rivalry, impunity, and the people caught in between.

A grim political-crime episode, this one treats the March 2023 assassination of Governor Roel Digamo as part of a wider pattern of rivalry and impunity.

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want the political rivalry behind the Pamplona Massacre and the killing of Governor Roel Degamo laid out clearly.

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