MANILA, Philippines — Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. can participate in the investigation conducted by the House Committee on ethics and privileges through videoconferencing, but he has to ask the House Speaker or the Secretary General for permission first.
This was according to committee member and Manila 6th District Bienvenido Abante Jr., who said on Tuesday that Teves has to make a personal request to Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez or Secretary General Reginald Velasco.
The committee will be looking into Teves’ continued absence, as the lawmaker still failed to present himself after his recent 60-day suspension lapsed.
“Yeah, if he will make a request, a personal request. Kasi merong ruling kami dito na dapat […] ang ruling dito ganito, if any congressman would like to make use of the videoconferencing, he has to make his personal request on that, and the reason why,” Abante said in a press briefing after the committee held a hearing.
(Yes, if he will make a request, a personal request. Because we now have a ruling here that if any congressman would like to make use of videoconferencing, he has to make his personal request on that, and the reason why.)
“Gano’n din siya, walang pagkakaiba rin, na kung gusto niya na magparticipate dito sa amin through videoconferencing, then he must make a request. Not through his lawyers ah, siya mismo, personally,” he added.
(That applies to him too; there is no difference. If he wants to participate in our hearings through videoconferencing, then he must make a request. Not through his lawyers, it has to be made by him.)
When asked if Teves has to appear physically before the House to submit that request, Abante said it could be done through a letter personally written by Teves, and not by his lawyers.
Committee vice chairperson and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Raul Angelo Bongalon said the decision on whether Teves will be allowed to participate virtually rests on Romualdez and Velasco.
According to Bongalon, the Speaker has ordered lawmakers to be physically present now at the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City for the House-related activities, and requests to participate through videoconferencing must be accompanied by a pressing reason.
“The decision will be coming from the Office of the Speaker or the Secretary General of the House of Representatives,” Bongalon said. “With the order issued by the Office of the Speaker, all the congressmen are required to attend physically or face-to-face na po lahat ng activities dito sa Congress, starting from the committee hearings, session, conference, and the actual session.”
“That’s why he has to make a request personally to the Office of the Speaker of the Secretary-General asking for the Speaker or the Secretary-General to avail of videoconferencing,” he added.
Teves has been asking to participate through videoconferencing even before his first suspension, but he was not allowed to do so since he was deemed absent as he has not returned from his trip authorized by the House only from February 28 to March 9.
The lawmaker refused to fly back to the Philippines due to alleged concerns over his and his family’s security after Negros Oriental governor Raul Degamo was killed inside his residence last March 4.
Teves was pinned by authorities as the mastermind behind the incident, but he has constantly denied involvement, noting that he and his brother and former governor Pryde Henry Teves would not gain anything from killing Degamo.
READ: Teves ready to return to PH, face accusations but…
But due to his continuous absence, the House Committee on ethics and privileges twice recommended the imposition of a 60-day suspension against Teves.
Earlier, Teves, his brother Pryde, and 11 others were designated by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) as terrorists, for supposedly being involved in the spate of violence in Negros Oriental.
Teves however said in a virtual press briefing that such allegations are the peak of the government’s stupidity, reasoning that no politician in his right mind would appeal for votes while terrorizing the voters themselves.