AFTER two long years, former congressman Arnulfo Teves Jr. is back in the Philippines from Timor Leste which served as his refuge amid a long list of criminal cases, including the March 2023 attack that killed then Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo.
On board a Philippine military plane, cuffed Teves arrived at around 7:40 Thursday night for a stopover in Davao City before being brought to the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City from where he was taken to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) headquarters in Manila for booking procedure and medical check-up.
“Former representative, Representative Arnie Teves, is now back in the Philippines,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed in a video statement.
BACKDOOR CHANNEL
Marcos admitted that Teves’ return to the Philippines was facilitated by no less than José Ramos-Horta, even as the President claimed that he only knew of the Timor Leste’s deportation plan from Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings in Kuala Lumpur.
“This would not have happened without the assistance of President Horta and Prime Minister Gusmao of Timor Leste. They have been working very hard to bring this to conclusion,” Marcos added.
“I would also like to assure all our citizens that such lawlessness will not go unpunished, and it is now time for Arnie Teves to face justice,” the President added.
HIGH-SECURITY RISK
Teves, who was previously arrested by the International Police Organization (Interpol) on the request of the Philippine government, was allowed to stay in Dili after a Timorese court blocked his extradition.
While in Timor Leste, Teves applied for an asylum. The Philippine government then filed an extradition request, which was turned down via a resolution to a motion filed by Filipino lawyer Ferdinand Topacio in his capacity as he former congressman’s legal counsel.
Timor-Leste on Wednesday hinted at deporting Teves, whom they described as a security risk, for which its immigration bureau personnel arrested the former congressman whose name form’s part of the Philippine Anti-Terrorism Council’s list of “terrorists.”
The Timor-Leste government also cited the need to deport Teves who has been in the country without a valid visa and legal authorization to stay.
MIRANDA RIGHTS
In a video farmed out by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), an NBI personnel read Teves’ Miranda Rights while on board the Philippine military plane.
“You are under arrest by virtue of warrants of arrest issued by Manila Court in September 2023 for 10 counts of murder, 12 counts of frustrated murder, 4 counts of attempted murder.”
“In addition to that, a 2024 warrant of arrest was issued against you by the Dumaguete court for murder, for illegal possession of explosives, for illegal possession of firearms and for the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act,” the NBI personnel told Teves.
The expelled congressman was also informed about his rights to remain silent and avail of a legal counsel.
WHAT WENT BEFORE
On March 4, 2023, heavily armed men in military uniform made a surprise attack in the former governor’s house in Pamplona town, killing Degamo and nine others.
Teves, who was in the United States at the time of the incident, has since denied involvement in the carnage, which took place months after Degamo was declared winner of a disputed vote, unseating Henry Teves, the ex-lawmaker’s brother.
At the onset of the investigation, the Philippine government asked Teves to return to the country amid allegations of ordering the killings. He however refused to cave in, for which the House of Representatives decided to expel him from the roster of legislators.