MANILA, Philippines – Embattled Negros Oriental 3rd District Representative Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr., in a new video posted on Facebook, rehashed numerous claims to defend himself from allegations of murder and illegal possession of firearms, as well as from his failure to show up before a House ethics committee investigation.

The 17-minute clip on his social media channel on Tuesday, March 21 is the first time Teves faced the camera to rebut the accusations against him in more than two weeks.

Claim #1: That there is an ‘operation’ against him in the House

Teves is under investigation in the House ethics committee for (1) taking an absence without leave, (2) for failing to return to the Philippines after the travel clearance issued by the chamber expired, and (3) for not personally attending multiple hearings set by the panel to explain his side.

Teves lamented how the committee insisted that he show up in person, even though he said there were supposed threats to his safety.

“The committee said Speaker [Martin Romualdez] had a direct order in connection with me, but you know there’s none. It’s now obvious there is an operation against me,” he said.

Teves previously wrote to Romualdez, asking the Speaker to grant his request for a two-month leave of absence, but Romualdez’s office maintained the ethics committee has jurisdiction on the lawmaker’s case.

Romualdez even publicly assured Teves of his safety and security, but Teves doubted that guarantee made by the Speaker since he has been stripped of his firearms due to spurious documents, and bodyguards because they were not detailed with the Police Security Protection Group.

Teves also decried how he was supposedly being singled out for his recent absences, and subsequently dared the House leadership to release the attendance records of all lawmakers since the 17th Congress.

The ethics panel already wrapped up its probe into Teves’ absence without leave and failure to return to the country, but declined to disclose details of its recommendation, which will be made public once lawmakers tackle it in the House plenary. Disciplinary actions may include suspension or expulsion.

Claim #2: That there is an order from the Palace to blame him for the killings

Teves is facing numerous criminal complaints in relation to at least three killings in his home province in 2019, as well as illegal possession of firearms.

He said he received information that the order to pin him for the killings came from the Palace, but he refused to blame President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his situation.

“I don’t believe President Marcos issued an order to attack me so that other people would have the e-sabong (online cockfighting) sector to themselves,” he said. “But I hope you notice other people in government who use your name for their self-interests.”

In the same video, he also addressed two Cabinet officials.

Teves said he heard Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla say he didn’t reach out to him, but Teves insisted he tried to call Remulla. Remulla said on Tuesday Teves texted him, expressing his intent to talk to the justice secretary.

He also rehashed past claims that Interior Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. was behind the revocation of his gun license.

“I reached out to him, but nothing happened. Why did I reach out? For me, if he has bad blood against me, let’s bury the hatchet, because I did not do anything to spite him,” Teves said.

Abalos back in January shrugged off Teves’ statement linking him to an alleged plot to raid his house and pin him to e-sabong operations.

Police raided multiple properties of Teves on March 10, and seized several firearms and ammunition, said to be in connection with a complaint against him for three murders in Negros Oriental in 2019.

“Who in their stupid mind would leave behind illegal weapons in your home when you know you were about to be the subject of raid?” he asked.

Claim #3: That Degamo’s killing is part of someone’s larger strategy to orchestrate Teves’ downfall

Teves also maintained his innocence after being implicated in the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo on March 4 in the victim’s house.

“Why did I say look at all possible angles? Because that’s natural in an investigation. In Degamo’s order, I was immediately pinned as the perpetrator,” he said, raising angles such as the alleged absence of multiple police personnel assigned to Degamo on the day he was assassinated.

Teves also repeated past observation that based on the CCTV footage of the murder, the dog seemed to be familiar with Degamo’s killers.

Four more members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines tagged in the Degamo murder case surrendered on Tuesday, but Teves claimed they were in authorities’ custody a long time ago.

“They just made that public earlier to complete the script,” he said. “What if you’re in my place and you become a sacrificial lamb? I think the killing of Degamo is part of a larger script to pin me down.”

– Rappler.com

* All quotes in Filipino were translated into English, and some were shortened for brevity.