Negros Oriental 3rd Distrit Representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. (File photo from INQUIRER/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE)
MANILA, Philippines — Negros Oriental 3rd District Representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. has been expelled from the roll of the House of Representatives.
The expulsion comes after 265 lawmakers voted to adopt the latest recommendations from House Committee on Ethics and Privileges on Wednesday.
None of the lawmakers present voted in the negative.
Three lawmakers abstained.
They are members of the Makabayan bloc, namely Gabriela Party-list Representative Arlene Brosas, ACT Teachers Party-list Representative France Castro, and Kabataan Party-list Representative Raoul Manuel.
Prior to the voting, the panel report was first read on the plenary by the committee chairperson and COOP-NATCCO Representative Felimon Espares.
“As the branch of government upon which the power to make laws has been reposed by the Constitution, members of the legislature should be held to account to a higher ethical standard especially when the acts complained of violate the very same laws Congress has arduously passed,” he said.
“As stewards of the public trust, the members of the House of Representatives are imbued with a sacred responsibility to embody the highest standards of ethical conduct,” he added.
Espares said the committee members had voted unanimously in favor of the recommendation.
Copies of the committee report showed the panel considered three issues in determining whether or not Teves should be expelled.
First, his continued pursuit of a political asylum was deemed by lawmakers as tantamount to abandoning his public office.
Second, his long absence is not allowed as he was authorized to go on a medical trip only from February 28 to March 9, 2023.
Third, he had committed indecent behavior when he uploaded on social media a video of him dancing while wearing only his undergarments.
“After a thorough deliberation and following numerous meetings, while observing fairness and due process, the Committee on Ethics and Privileges unanimously recommends that the penalty of expulsion from the House of Representatives be imposed on Representative Arnolfo ‘Arnie’ A. Teves Jr. for disorderly behavior and for violation of the Code of Conduct of the House of Representatives,” Espares reported to his fellow lawmakers during the plenary.
None of the lawmakers present voted in the negative.
Three lawmakers abstained.
They are all members of the Makabayan bloc, namely Gabriela Party-list Representative Arlene Brosas, ACT Teachers Party-list Representative France Castro, and Kabataan Party-list Representative Raoul Manuel.
The committee’s report was made known after its members held a closed-door hearing last Monday on the continued absence of Teves.
Previously, the panel already handed down two 60-day suspensions against the lawmaker.
The penalties were imposed after he failed to report to the chamber, despite Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez’s direct order.
Teves had flown to the United States for a medical procedure by the power of the travel authority issued by the House.
However, the lawmaker refrained from returning to the Philippines after authorities implicated him in the assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo on March 4, 2023.
Teves said he and his brother, former governor Pryde Henry Teves, do not stand to gain anything from the execution of the crime.
The lawmaker cited concerns about his safety and family as reasons for staying abroad.
Last August 1, the Teves siblings and 11 others were tagged as terrorists by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC).
The council held the legislator responsible for the spate of violence in Negros Oriental.
In a virtual press briefing, Teves described the accusations as absurd.
He said no politician in his right mind would appeal for votes while terrorizing the voters themselves.
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