DOJ to oppose possible Teves appeal over passport cancelation

Former Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Justice (DOJ) will oppose all appeals that former Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. will file regarding the cancelation of his passport.

Teves, who is facing a case of multiple murder for the death of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and several others has been out of the country since early 2023.

He initially left the country for medical reasons but eventually refused to return after he was tagged as mastermind in the killing of Degamo.

He denied the allegations and expressed fears for his life.

The DOJ said Teves remains in Timor Leste, seeking asylum.

Last November, 2023, the DOJ asked a Manila court to cancel Teves’ passport. The order came out this week.

Teves’ counsel, Atty. Ferdinand Topacio said the cancelation of the passport is not yet final and executory.

“There is still an entire slew of legal remedies available to us in order to reverse the same, and we fully intend to resort to all of them,” Topacio said.

“Itong mga sinasabi ng kabilang kampo na magfa-file sila ng MR (Motion for reconsideration) hanggang Court of Appeals or umabot man sa Supreme Court ay i-o-oppose talaga namin. This is something that we will not relent on,” said DOJ Spokesperson Jose Dominic Clavano.

[We will definitely oppose the statements made by the opposing party that they will file a Motion for Reconsideration up to the Court of Appeals or even reach the Supreme Court. This is something that we will not relent on.]

“We want to make sure that with this case, we set an example so this goes beyond just the multiple murder charges. It is a culture of impunity that we are really trying to quell and prevent in the future,” Clavano added.