Marcos assures Teves of ‘compassion, fairness, security’

BACOLOD, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has assured expelled Negros Oriental congressman and suspected Degamo slay mastermind Arnolfo Teves Jr. that the government will act with compassion and fairness, and guarantee his security during his impending return from Timor-Leste.

Marcos told reporters in Bacolod City that all legal processes would be followed, and Teves would be dealt with fairly as soon as the ex-congressman sets foot again on Philippine soil.

“Walang nagbabanta sa buhay niya (No one is threatening his life),” he said on Monday, April 8.

Teves, who was expelled by Congress and simultaneously designated as a terrorist in August 2023, is currently facing multiple murder charges in connection with the gruesome assassination of Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo and nine other civilians in Barangay 9-Poblacion, Pamplona town on the morning of March 23, 2023.

Teves has repeatedly denied involvement in the broad-daylight murders. 

After about a year of evading arrest abroad, operatives from the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), alongside police authorities in East Timor, caught Teves while he was playing golf at the Top Golf Driving Range and Bar in Dili, on March 21.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Teves’ return to the country from Timor-Leste is now being processed.

Degamo’s widow, Janice, the mayor of Pamplona town, expressed some frustration over the case.

“We are tired of the continued delaying tactics employed by Teves’ camp and his team of high-end lawyers,” she said.

She said Teves still wields power and influence in Negros Oriental.

She called on her provincemates to remain vigilant “as we continue to work alongside the national government to dismantle threats to all our fellow Negrenses.” – Rappler.com