Former congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr. is believed to still be hiding in Timor Leste, but the state visit of the latter’s President, Jose Ramos-Horta, in Manila on Nov. 10 is raising hopes the ex-lawmaker may be extradited to face charges for the murder of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo last March.
Despite Timor Leste not having an extradition treaty with the Philippines, the Department of Justice said Sunday it will exhaust all legal options to bring Teves to face trial for the killing of Degamo and 11 others last March 4 in his hometown of Pamplona.
DOJ Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Mico Clavano said “it takes time to bring home a fugitive from justice with rich resources in a country like East Timor, with whom we do not have an extradition treaty.”
“The case is in court and a pending warrant is out. We will get (Teves) and he will have to face the charges against him,” Clavano said in a text message.
The DOJ earlier said it will be “a matter of diplomacy” to have Teves deported even without an extradition treaty with East Timor.
Aside from the March 4 killings, Teves has been charged with murder for the deaths of three persons in Negros Oriental in 2019.
In a statement, the Palace said President Marcos “is pleased to welcome His Excellency José Ramos- Horta, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, for his upcoming state visit to the Philippines, scheduled on November 10, Friday.”
The Philippines and Timor-Leste have enjoyed two decades of formal diplomatic relations anchored on common history and cultural and people-to-people ties, the Palace noted.
The statement, however, did not say if Mr. Marcos and Ramos-Horta would discuss Teves, the former representative of Negros Oriental’s third district who was expelled from the House of Representatives for not returning home after Degamo’s death and after his travel authority expired.
A Manila City regional trial court earlier ordered the arrest of the ex-lawmaker and his co-accused on murder, frustrated murder, and attempted murder cases filed against them for the killings of Degamo and several other persons.
Judge Merianthe Pacita M. Zuraek of RTC Branch 51 issued the arrest order on the criminal cases filed by a panel of prosecutors of the DOJ last Aug. 18.
Mr. Marcos’ meeting with President Ramos-Horta is anticipated to reaffirm the friendship and the Philippines’ commitment to strengthening their cooperation, as well as supporting Timor-Leste’s full membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
“In the Philippines, you have a partner. We have always been supportive,” Mr. Marcos told Timor-Leste Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak in their bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the 42nd ASEAN Summit.
In the Teves case, the judge also ordered that detained accused Nigel Electona be transferred “from the custody of the Manila City Jail to the Metro Manila District Jail (MMDJ)-Annex 2, BJMP (Bureau of Jail Management and Penology) Compound, Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig City.”
The five accused were charged with 10 counts of murder, 12 counts of frustrated murder, and four counts of attempted murder.
The DOJ prosecutors filed the cases before the Manila RTC after conducting preliminary investigation on the complaints filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the family of Degamo.
“The Panel of Prosecutors found that respondents Teves, Capt. Garcia, Angelo, Gee-an and Electona are liable as co-conspirators along with the other assassins in the commission of Murder, Frustrated Murder and Attempted Murder,” the DOJ said in a statement issued last August.
There were 11 persons who are now under detention in the March 4 killings. They were Marvin Miranda, Rogelio Antipolo Jr., Rommel Pattaguan, Winrich Isturis, John Louie Gonyon, Dahniel Lora, Eulogio Gonyon Jr., Joric Labrador, Joven Javier, Benjie Rodriguez, and Jhudiel Rivero.
Teves has not returned to the Philippines since his travel abroad as congressman expired last March 9. He was twice suspended as a member of Congress and later expelled.
He had also been designated as a terrorist by the Anti-Terrorism Council and his assets in the Philippines have been ordered frozen.
Earlier, the Supreme Court (SC) had ordered the transfer to the Manila RTC of all cases that would be filed in connection with the March 4 killings in Pamplona town.
