Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Monday that Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) need not fear for his safety on his return to the Philippines.
Teves, who is in the United States, has been tagged by two suspects in the killing of Gov. Roel Degamo as the alleged mastermind, which he has denied.
Teves’ lawyer Ferdinand Topacio also alleged that the firearms seized from the raids on Teves’ properties in Negros Oriental on Friday were planted.
Degamo and eight others were killed by heavily armed men at his home in Pamplona, Negros Oriental, on March 4. Four alleged suspects have been arrested and a fifth one was killed by pursuing law enforcers.
The suspects Joric Labrador, Joven Javier, Benjoe Rodriguez, and Osmundo Rivero, who are former soldiers, have offered to cooperate in the investigation into the Degamo slay, Remulla said earlier.
The remains of Degamo were transferred from the Negros Oriental Capitol in Dumaguete City to his hometown in Siaton on Monday.
Teves is also facing multiple charges in connection with three 2019 killings in Negros Oriental.
The Aviation Security Group has been ordered to monitor the return of Teves.
Remulla told reporters that Teves would be afforded due process.
“He will be secured. Hindi namin sya pababayaan (We will look after him),” Remulla said
MORE CHARGES
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police will file 13 more criminal charges against the suspects in the attack on Degamo that left eight others dead, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said Monday.
Seventeen charges were earlier filed against the suspects — six for frustrated murder, eight for murder, one for illegal possession of firearms and two for illegal possession of explosives.
“There are a total of 27 victims. Nine died, 15 were hit quite seriously and then three were attempted murders. We are completing more charges for filing — one for murder, nine for frustrated murder, three for attempted murder for a total of 13 more cases,” Abalos told reporters.
Abalos did not name the mastermind in the Pamplona massacre.
HOUSE HEARING
PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said that they are now looking into the whereabouts of five police officers deployed as Degamo’s security personnel at the time of the shooting.
They will be questioning these officers along with Negros Oriental police provincial director Col. Reynaldo Lizardo in Tuesday’s congressional hearing, he said.
“They have to explain their absence as usually, they have to rotate. It does not mean that they will all be reporting for duty,” Azurin told reporters in Camp Crame.
House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Sunday sought a congressional inquiry over the failure of the five police escorts of Degamo to report for duty on the day he was gunned down.
Azurin said he already ordered the five PNP personnel to report to Camp Crame to ensure their attendance in the House of Representatives hearing.* with reports from PNA