Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) — Negros Oriental 3rd district Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. has refused to return to the Philippines after House Speaker Martin Romualdez denied some requests made by the congressman to ensure his safety, his lawyers disclosed.
\”I had two interactions with House Speaker Martin Romualdez, I cannot divulge the details but Rep. Teves made certain requests for his return in order to ensure his safety,\” Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, Teves’ head legal counsel, revealed in a Saturday press conference.
“Itong mga request na ito, pwede nating gawin. Itong mga request na ito, hindi natin pwedeng gawin,” he said, quoting Romualdez. “With that, hindi pa makakauwi si Rep. Teves.”
[Translation: \”These requests, we can do. These ones, we cannot,\” he said, quoting Romualdez. \”With that, Rep. Teves cannot come home yet.\” ]
Topacio refused to disclose the requests made by Teves. The Teves camp earlier said they tried to contact Romualdez to explain the congressman’s concerns.
Meanwhile, the camp also responded to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s offer to protect Teves.
“Nagpapasalamat kami sa pangulo natin sa kanyang [We thank the president for his] concern,” Topacio said. “But, the reality of the situation is that he cannot micromanage the situation.”
“While we thank him for his concern, in view of the current situation and circumstances, hindi pa kami satisfied kaya nga nagbigay kami ng [we are not satisfied which is why we made these] requests,” he added.
Teves has not returned to the country since he left for the United States last Feb. 28. He left the Philippines on a travel authority from the House of Representatives which expired on March 9.
As a result of his continued absence, the House voted to suspend him for 60 days.
The Department of Justice has said that it is considering Teves as one of the masterminds behind the assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo.
On March 31, the DOJ disclosed that it had arrested another suspected mastermind.
