Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remula on Thursday afternoon, May 29, said that expelled Negros Oriental congressman Arnolfo A. Teves Jr. is now in the custody of the Philippines and “we will bring him home so that he can face the charges.”
In an interview, Remulla said the “extraction team” sent to get Teves in Timor-Leste is led by DOJ Assistant Secretary Eliseo DC Cruz who is accompanied by representatives from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
Once Teves is back in the Philippines, “he will be brought to court para ma-arraign s’ya (to undergo arraignment) so he can face his accusers and face his prosecution,” Remulla also said.
Teves was arrested in Timor-Leste last May 27. He is an undocumented foreigner with the cancellation of his passport after an arrest order was issued against him by the Manila regional trial court (RTC) on murder charges and other criminal offenses.
He has been declared a terrorist by the Anti-Terrorism Council. He went to the United States and failed to return after his approved leave. His successive failure to report back to work prompted the House of Representatives to expel him as a legislator.
He fled to Timor-Leste where he applied for an asylum.
“Naghintay kami ng dalawang taon para mangyari ito at nagpapasalamat tayo sa Panginoon (We have waited two years for this to happen and we thank the Lord for this),” Remulla said.
“Ito na ‘yung hinihintay natin na reckoning na dapat n’ya harapin talaga ang mga charges sa kanya (This is the reckoning we have been waiting for so that he can face the charges against him),” he also said.
On the other hand, Remulla admitted that it has not been discussed where Teves will be detained once he arrives in the Philippines.
“‘Yung safety ang aming concern kaya malamang one of the NBI facilities will be prepared (We are concerned for his safety so most likely one of the NBI facilities will be prepared),” he said.
At the moment, Remulla said President Marcos has not yet been informed about the developments concerning Teves but he assured that a DOJ assistant secretary will soon be conducting a briefing for the President.