Arnolfo Teves Jr. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Citing a “reliable source,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, that suspended Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. would be flying back to the country on Wednesday, May 17, the same day a murder charge was set to be filed against him for the killing of his political rival, Gov. Roel Degamo.
“He’s being put on alert so he can be secured so nothing can be said about his life being in danger because we don’t want anything to happen to him [as] we want him to face the charges properly,” Remulla told reporters.
“The timing is perfect because the charges will be filed [on Wednesday] already and there will be no waste of time. I hope he comes home,” he added. While a warrant has yet to be issued for the representative’s arrest, Remulla said he has already coordinated with the Philippine National Police to secure Teves upon his arrival. It was not clear if he would be taken into custody, although according to Remulla, Teves could stay at home as long as he felt secure.
Remulla said he received the information about the representative’s homecoming from a reliable source with knowledge about arrivals and departures in the country, which was why he was confident about its credibility.
“[Teves] can be in Timor-Leste or another country, but I think it will be Timor-Leste. I think that the countries [through] which he can enter are already very limited considering that he’s already on Interpol notice and it’s already known in [the Association of Southeast Asian Nations] that he’s a subject of designation as a terrorist. So things have become more difficult, I suppose,” he said.
Teves earlier applied for asylum in Timor-Leste, although his request was turned down. He has been tagged as the primary suspect in the March 4 assassination of Degamo and eight others.
At the time of the killing, Teves was out of the country after going on medical leave in February. He has since refused to come home, citing threats to his life, prompting the House of Representatives to suspend him for 60 days for “disorderly behavior.” Remulla, meanwhile, earlier said that several of the witnesses who originally surrendered and gave their testimonies during the initial investigation had since become “uncooperative” after being given private lawyers and recanted their testimonies.
He insisted, however, that this development would not affect the case against Teves. INQ
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