A thanksgiving caravan was held to mark the return of Gov. Roel Degamo to the Negros Oriental Capitol in Dumaguete City on Saturday, October 15.
Pryde Henry Teves voluntarily stepped down as governor of Negros Oriental on October 11, to allow a peaceful transfer of leadership to Degamo.
The Commission on Elections proclaimed Degamo the duly elected governor of Negros Oriental on October 3, after it declared candidate Ruel Degamo a nuisance.
The votes of the nuisance candidate that were credited to Roel Degamo gave him a total of 331,726 votes to defeat Teves who had 301,319.
Degamo said, in a Fecebook post on Saturday, that the first few things he will tackle at the beginning of his official term will be to resume the projects halted by the previous administration.
He started meeting sectoral heads and reorganizing his staff in the week preceding his return to Capitol, Degamo said.
“Words cannot express how truly grateful I am to all of you who joined me at the Freedom Park this morning to celebrate the restoration of democracy in our great province,” Degamo told those who joined the Thanksgiving Caravan.
“The battle I fought these past few months took an emotional toll on myself and my family. But when I looked across the vast crowd of smiling supporters, I was reminded why the battle I fought was so important,” he said.
“The people of Negros Oriental deserve to live in a thriving province free from tyranny, free from illegal drugs and gambling, and free from violence,” Degamo said.*