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Suspended Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr.
Arnie A. Teves via Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Expelled lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr. is set to be repatriated to the Philippines after being processed by Timor-Leste authorities in coordination with Philippine government officials.
As of writing, Teves has boarded a Philippine Air Force plane that landed in Dili, Timor-Leste, to pick him up.
The plane is expected to land at Villamor Airbase, where he will be placed in the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for a medical checkup, according to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.
“‘Yung safety niya ang ating concern, kaya malamang one of the NBI facilities that we've prepared. Marami na tayong hinandang detention facility,” Remulla said.
(His safety is our concern, so it's likely he will be detained in one of the NBI facilities we've prepared. We've already readied several detention facilities.)
However, authorities have yet to confirm the exact date and time of Teves' return. According to his counsel, Ferdinand Topacio, a chartered flight from Timor-Leste to the Philippines takes approximately three hours.
In a separate statement, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said it is working with the NBI and the Bureau of Immigration to facilitate Teves' repatriation. The expelled lawmaker was rearrested in Timor-Leste on May 27.
“The DOJ takes note of the statement issued by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Timor-Leste, which declared Mr. Teves' presence a threat to national security and public order, citing the seriousness of the charges against him and the absence of any legal authorization for him to remain in their country,” the DOJ said in a statement issued Thursday, May 29.
The Timor-Leste government confirmed on the evening of May 28 that Teves would be deported after his passport was canceled, leaving him without proper legal documentation to stay in the country.
Upon his return, Teves will face multiple charges, including those linked to the assassination of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and the alleged orchestration of several other killings in the province.
Teves left the Philippines shortly after Degamo’s assassination and remained abroad despite the expiration of his travel authority.
