Romualdez tells Teves: Stop seeking asylum abroad, just come home
Negros Oriental 3rd district Rep. Arnolfo "Arnie" Teves Jr. (Facebook)
House Speaker Martin Romualdez is discouraging Negros Oriental 3rd district Rep. Arnolfo "Arnie" Teves Jr. from continuing to seek asylum abroad. "We, in the House of Representatives, view with great concern reports from the DOJ (Department of Justice) and the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) that Rep. Arnie Teves has applied for political asylum in Timor-Leste," Romualdez said in a statement Wednesday, May 10. "I discourage any attempt by our colleague, Cong. Arnie, to seek refuge in other country and abandon his sworn duty to serve as member of the House of Representatives," the Speaker said. "Rather than evade investigation by Philippine law enforcement agencies, Cong. Arnie should return home immediately and face the accusation against him," reckoned Romualdez, Leyte's 1st district representative. "I had repeatedly assured him that the House of Representatives will secure his personal safety upon his return to the Philippines," he further said. Teves has been out of the country since Feb. 28. He is considered absent without official leave from the House. Teves, a former deputy speaker, is tagged as the mastermind of the March 4 assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo. Although he has maintained his innocence, he has refused to come back home to the Philippines for fear of his life. His application for asylum in Timor-Leste was the first confirmation of his whereabouts in months. However, the government of Timor-Leste has denied his asylum request and has ordered him to leave the country.