• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Expelled Negros Oriental representative Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. is now detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) facility in the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, following his arrest and deportation from Timor Leste on Thursday.
Teves faces multiple murder charges linked to the 2023 Pamplona massacre that killed Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and nine others, accusations which he strongly denies.
Negros Oriental 3rd District Representative-elect Janice Degamo wants marathon hearings for a faster trial of her predecessor, Teves, who she accuses as being behind the Pamplona massacre on March 4, 2023, where her husband was among the victims.
In a media interview, Representative-elect Degamo stressed the need for a marathon hearing to happen, noting that it took 10 years for the court to render a decision in the Ampatuan case in Maguindanao.
When he was presented by the NBI to the media, Teves said he is also hoping for a speedy trial.
The former Negros Oriental solon said he is ready to face his accusers, insisting that his “conscience is clear.”
In a statement posted in her Facebook account, Degamo said it is appalling to hear (Atty. Ferdinand) Topacio continuously refer to Teves as a ‘trophy’ for the Marcos administration.
“Let’s set the record straight, this is not about politics, this is about justice. Calling Arnie Teves a ‘trophy’ is a slap in the face to the families of the many innocent people killed by the Teves Terrorist Group, including my husband, Governor Roel Degamo. These weren’t political casualties, they were sons, daughters, husbands and wives, brutally taken from their loved ones,” she added.
“Instead of turning every issue into a political drama, Atty. Topacio should focus on what truly matters, explaining why at least two of the gunmen who murdered my husband directly named his client as the mastermind. That is what the people of Negros Oriental and the entire country deserve answers to. We will not be distracted. We will not be silenced. We will see this through,” Degamo further said.
She further stressed that the arrest of Teves is a reminder that no one is above the law as it reaffirms the strength of international cooperation and collective pursuit of justice.*
