Arnolfo Teves Jr.
Government prosecutors have finally filed murder charges against expelled Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. for the killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and nine of his supporters in Pamplona, Negros Oriental, on March 4.
Jose Dominic Clavano IV, assistant secretary and spokesperson for the Department of Justice (DOJ), said at a news forum on Saturday that 10 counts of murder, 14 counts of frustrated murder and four counts of attempted murder have been filed before the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC), but he did not say when.
The 28 charges were separate from the first set of three murder charges that were filed at the Bayawan City Regional Trial Court in Negros Oriental for the 2019 killing of former Negros Oriental board member Michael Dungog, Lester Bato and Pacito Libron.
After the filing of the 28 new charges, Teves now faces a total of 31 cases.
In the cases at the Bayawan court, prosecutors indicted Teves along with Angelo Palagtiw, Neil Andrew Go, Capt. Lloyd Cruz Garcia, Nigel Electona and a a certain Gee-Ann or Jie-An.
Clavano said the DOJ has asked the Supreme Court to transfer the trial of the cases filed in Bayawan City to Manila.
The Manila RTC is expected to promptly issue a warrant of arrest against Teves, but his lawyers are expected to ask the court for a judicial determination of probable cause, which may delay the issuance of arrest orders.
“We’re hoping that the judge will find probable cause to issue a warrant of arrest for both [sets of] cases,” Clavano said.
Aside from Teves, prosecutors filed raps in July against 11 suspects whom authorities tagged in the Degamo assassination. These 11 are already in custody.
Clavano did not explain why it took the government five months to charge Teves. INQ Arnolfo Teves Jr.