The senior vice chairperson of the House Committee on Ethics insists that the recommendation to suspend Negros Oriental 3rd district Rep. Arnolfo "Arnie" Teves Jr. for 60 days wasn't rushed. According to Nueva Ecija 3rd district Rep. Ria Vergara, no less than House Speaker Martin Romualdez himself had tried to convince Teves to come back home multiple times before the committee even began hearing his case. The committee started its motu proprio probe against Teves on March 15 after it had considered the controversial solon absent without official leave. "Because March 15 no suspension muna. The simple request was to come home dahil yung kanyang [Teves] request for a leave of absence nung March 9 for extension to April 7 was denied by the [House] Secretary General [Reginald Velasco] dahil...walang specific destination (Because on March 15, there was as yet no suspension. The simple request was to come home because his request for a leave of absence on March 9 for extension to April 7 was denied by the Secretary General because...he didn't mention a specific destination)  Vergara told House reporters. The House earlier issued Teves a travel clearance covering the dates Feb. 28 to March 9. He went to the United States (US) for stem cell treatment. He has since been connected to the March 4 assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and has refused to return to the country for fear of his life. Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio has criticized the ethics panel for allegedly rushing its recommendation against his client Teves and for suspending some committee rules and supposedly not giving the latter the opportunity to explain his side. But Vergara said it's the discretion of the panel to suspend or change its own rules. "We were hoping na by March 20 uuwi na si Cong. Arnie Teves pero hindi rin siya dumating. So the committee then extend pa, another day, 24 hours and sadly hindi rin siya nakauwi (We were hoping that by March 20, Cong. Arnie Teves would come home but he didn't come. So the committee extended the hearing for another day, 24 hours, and sadly he still didn't come home)," she said. On March 22, the House plenary unanimously voted to uphold the 60-day suspension against Teves for "disorderly behavior". "Even President [Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos [Jr.] was asking him...Cong. Arnie Teves please come home para naman (so that) we can resolve this in your presence. The longer you stay out of the country the more difficult you put yourself in this position. So yung urgency I believe is for the sake of Cong. Arnie Teves more than anything," Vergara said. "Because, if he has no hand in this crime then there’s no reason for him not to come home," she added.