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January 16, 2026 | 5:08pm
Expelled Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo Teves attends a press conference at the National Bureau of Investigation Headquarters in Pasay City on May 30, 2025.
The STAR / Ryan Baldemor
MANILA, Philippines — Former lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr. has been acquitted of the murder of Miguel Lopez Dungog, former Negros Oriental provincial board member.
The Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 15 granted the motion for demurrer to evidence by Teves, Richard Cuadra and Rolando Pinili on January 5, according to a document sent to reporters by Teves’ lawyer Ferdinand Topacio.
A demurrer is a motion filed on the ground that the evidence presented by the prosecutors is insufficient for a criminal conviction.
If a court grants a demurrer, it effectively dismisses all charges against an accused, which is tantamount to an acquittal.
The court ordered the immediate release of Cuadra and Pinili from the Manila City Jail and Teves from his cell in Taguig, provided they aren’t being held for any other legal reasons.
In a statement, Topacio said that the court’s acquittal of Teves was a victory against “political persecution.”
“The acquittal of former Congressman Arnolfo Teves of the crime of murder by the Regional Trial Court, Branch 15 of Manila is a vivid demonstration that the cases filed against Mr. Teves are nothing but harassment suits meant to persecute a political opponent,” Topacio’s statement read.
The case stemmed from the March 25, 2019, assassination of Miguel Lopez Dungog, a former Negros Oriental provincial board member, outside a Dumaguete City hospital.
Charges were filed against Teves and his associates after Gemuel Hobro, the self-confessed gunman, informed authorities that Teves masterminded the assassination and provided P50,000 to cover the group's expenses.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said that it has yet to receive any order from the court about the acquittal.
However, it explained that despite Teves’ acquittal in one case, he will not be released as there are other pending cases against him.
“However, even assuming that Teves was acquitted in the Dungog case, he will not be released because he remains lawfully detained by virtue of his other pending criminal cases,” DOJ Spokesperson Polo Martinez told reporters in a message.
“These include multiple murder charges currently pending before the Regional Trial Courts of Manila, including high-profile cases related to the assassination of the late Governor Roel Degamo,” he added.
Teves is facing several criminal cases linked to killings in Negros Oriental and is accused of orchestrating the assassination of the late Governor Roel Degamo.
The cases filed against him include:
- 10 counts of murder before the Manila RTC Branch 51
- 13 counts of frustrated murder before the Manila RTC Branch 51
- 4 counts of attempted murder before the Manila RTC Branch 51
- 1 count of murder before the Manila RTC Branch 12
- 1 count of murder before Bayawan RTC Branch 63
- Illegal possession of firearms and explosives before Manila RTC Branch 12
- Violation of the Terrorist Financing Prevention and Suppression Act before Quezon City RTC Branch 77
The Anti-Terrorism Council has also designated Teves as a terrorist, resulting in the freezing of his assets.
