Suspended Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” A. Teves Jr. was reported more than a week ago in Dili City in Timor Leste “where he applied for a protection visa with the intent of asylum.”
Acting on the information furnished by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) last April 29, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla has sent to letter to Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo to inform the Philippine Ambassador to Timor Leste that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has taken concrete steps to designate Teves a “terrorist.”
Teves has been tagged as “one of the masterminds” in the killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel R. Degamo last March 4 in Pamplona town where nine other persons died during the incident. Teves has denied the accusation.
Teves has remained abroad despite the expiration of his authority for foreign travel last March 9.
The Philippines is the first member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to sign a bilateral market access agreement with Timor Leste as part of the latter's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
“We have written a letter telling Timor Leste that he is a person of interest in murder cases and he is being considered for designation as a terrorist by the country,” Remulla said.
He noted that the letter would give Timor Leste fair warning that the “person asking for asylum may not necessarily be a good candidate for that.”
He said that political reason is usually the basis for a person to seek asylum in another country and “Teves does not have that.”
“It is really for not wanting to face the consequences of certain actions by which he is being held to account for in our courts of law,” he also said.
Despite being tagged as “one of the masterminds” in the killing of Degamo and nine other persons last March 4, the DOJ has not filed any criminal case against Teves.
Remulla said the cases may be filed until Friday, May 12.