Finally, PH trial for Teves who is tagged in 13 killings
After two years of evading authorities and seeking refuge in Timor-Leste, fugitive and former Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. was deported to Manila on Thursday onboard a Philippine Air Force aircraft. He will finally have his day in court and face the multiple criminal charges against him.
Wearing a plain white shirt, handcuffed and shackled at the feet, Teves was heavily guarded by at least nine men as he was escorted out of Timor-Leste and turned over to Philippine authorities on Thursday afternoon.
His return followed an administrative order from the Timorese government for his immediate deportation.
A joint Philippine delegation composed of officials from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Immigration (BI), and National Bureau of Investigation, including NBI Director Jaime Santiago and Assistant Justice Secretary Eliseo Cruz, facilitated the high-profile turnover and repatriation.
NBI detention
In Manila, President Marcos said it was time for Teves to face justice.
“I was first informed of this development by Prime Minister Gusmao in the Asean meeting that I just returned from in Kuala Lumpur, that Timor-Leste was ready to send Teves back to the Philippines so this would not have happened without the assistance of President Horta and Prime Minister Gusmao of Timor-Leste,” Mr. Marcos said.
“They have been working very hard to bring this to conclusion … We would like also to assure our citizens that such lawlessness will not go unpunished. It is now time for Arni Teves to face justice,” he added.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Teves would undergo a health screening, biometrics and booking before being detained in one of the NBI’s facilities, upon his arrival.
Teves, who is the subject of an Interpol red notice, is accused of masterminding the assassination of his political rival Roel Degamo, then governor in Negros Oriental, in a daytime attack on Degamo’s home that killed nine others in 2023. A Manila court issued an arrest warrant for him in connection with this case.
He also faces separate charges before a Dumaguete court in connection with the killings of three individuals between March and June 2019.
Authorities have also charged him with illegal possession of firearms and explosives after high-powered weapons and ammunition were discovered in his family’s compound.
“There’s already an ongoing trial, so there will be an arraignment. Of course, there will be a health check, fingerprints, biometrics, then he will be booked. After that, he will be brought to court for arraignment so he can face his accusers and the prosecution,” Remulla said.
The DOJ chief assured the public that Teves would be accorded due process, saying the Philippine government had made this commitment to Timorese officials.
“We will carry things out while observing all the tenets of due process and fair play—unlike what happened to the victims who died here,” he said.
“Thirteen people were killed here, so this is not something to be taken lightly or treated as a matter of taking sides. What’s important is that the families who lost their loved ones attain justice,” Remulla added.
Search for justice
At the Senate, senators welcomed Teves’ arrest and deportation, calling it a significant step in the pursuit of justice.
“It will provide former Congressman Teves the opportunity to face the charges against him, while also giving the Degamo family a chance to continue their search for justice,” Sen. Joel Villanueva told reporters.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said Teves’ deportation would be a good opportunity for the country to mend its tarnished image in the international community.
“That’s good for us because we can achieve justice, especially for the Degamo family, who were the victims of this heinous murder … our international image was also tarnished,” Gatchalian said.
Administrative decision
The Timorese government ordered Teves’ deportation on Wednesday, in an administrative decision that tagged him as an undocumented alien facing multiple criminal complaints and posed a threat to national security and public interest.
The decision came two months after Timor-Leste’s Court of Appeal denied Manila’s extradition request.
It also coincided with the Asean Summit, as Timor-Leste is scheduled to move toward full accession into the regional bloc by October.
“The perception that Timor-Leste might be viewed as a refuge for individuals fleeing international justice undermines the integrity of our borders and our shared efforts to combat transnational crime,” the Timorese government said.
It added that Teves’ continued stay had become a “disruptive factor” in its bilateral relations with the Philippines and created a “serious precedent with potential implications for internal security.”
In June 2023, the Anti-Terrorism Council designated Teves and his alleged armed group as a terrorist organization.
He was expelled from the House of Representatives two months later for disorderly conduct due to his refusal to return to the country after his travel authority expired.
In February 2024, the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 51 ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs to cancel his passport.
He had sought asylum in Timor-Leste in 2023 but was denied, until he was eventually arrested in Dili on March 21, 2024, while playing golf. —WITH REPORTS FROM TINA G. SANTOS AND MELVIN GASCON
