COOP-NATCCO Party-list Rep. Felimon Espares, Negros Oriental 3rd district Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. (MANILA BULLETIN, Facebook)

The House of Committee on Ethics and Privileges will "weigh" on whether or not to recommend the harshest penalty of expulsion against Negros Oriental 3rd district Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr.

Thus, said committee chairman, COOP NATCCO Party-list Rep. Felimon Espares on Tuesday afternoon, July 25, following a meeting of the panel on the case of Teves who continues to be absent without official leave from the House.

Espares made this remark a day after Teves criticized the Marcos administration in a Facebook video that the latter had dubbed the "real State of the Nation Address (SONA)".

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. delivered his second official SONA that same day.

“We have to weigh on that [question on how long we can avoid recommending expulsion] because the question now is, what is the next action of the House. I cannot talk about that [yet]," Espares told House reporters.

"Pero baka mapwersa talaga ang committee (But the committee might really be forced) to recommend the most extreme [penalty]...our most extreme [sanction], iyong expulsion,” he said.

Teves, who is believed to be out of the country, is on the tail end of his second 60-day suspension from House duties because of "disorderly behavior".

The back-to-back suspensions stemmed from the controversial solon's refusal to go back to the Philippines and report for duty after being tagged in the March 4 assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo.

By that time, Teves was already abroad, with a travel authority issued by the House leadership. That travel authority has long since expired.

Also set to lapse is his second suspension, the last day of which is Sunday, July 30. By Monday, July 31, the controversial solon must appear at the House, or else the Espares committee will have to recommend a course of action to the plenary.

Word from the grapevine is that Teves' continued defiance might end in him getting expelled as a House member.

Espares, however, stressed that the final decision "depends upon the appreciation of the members" of the ethics panel.

The panel's recommendation will also have to undergo plenary vote before it can take effect.