Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 11) — State prosecutors said they have found sufficient evidence to file murder charges against Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. in connection with three killings in Negros Oriental in 2019.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told reporters on Friday that the cases will be filed either on the same day (August 11) or on Monday (August 14) before a Manila court, after nearly four months of preliminary investigation.
This stemmed from a complaint lodged in April by the family of the three victims, who were killed on different occasions. They were Michael Dungog, a former board member of the Third District of Negros Oriental; Lester Bato, a bodyguard for a mayoralty candidate in the same province; and Pacito Libron, an alleged hitman linked to Teves.
“After a comprehensive evaluation of the complaint and the presented evidence, the investigating panel of prosecutors determined that the evidence is sufficient to substantiate charges of three counts of murder,” the DOJ said in a separate release.
Teves’ camp said it was not surprised by the charges.
\”From the inception of the criminal investigations against Rep. Arnolfo Teves, we have consistently stated that with the repeated pronouncements of the Justice Secretary as regards the guilt of our client even before the start of preliminary investigations, the proceedings in the DOJ have been reduced to nothing more than moro-moro, ‘a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing’, to quote Shakespeare,\” Teves’ lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said in a statement.
Topacio added that they are bracing for more ““harassment” from the DOJ, “whose leadership has been using the laws as a blunt instrument of persecution.”
Besides Teves, six other individuals linked to him were named respondents in the complaint, including Gemuel Hobro whom the government said confessed to the crimes.
The DOJ said Hobro’s extrajudicial confession became the foundation of the complaint. He also reaffirmed his statements during the preliminary probe on May 4 and was \”conditionally admitted\” into the witness protection program due to concerns for his safety and that of his family, the department added.
“Hobro’s confession implicates him as part of a group hired by Congressman Teves to carry out the aforementioned murders, shedding light on the motives driving these actions. Hobro asserts his presence during all three incidents and identifies the individuals responsible,” the DOJ wrote.
“His connections to Congressman Teves and the co-respondents are firmly established through evidence, confirming the political and personal motivations behind the murders,” it also said.
Meanwhile, Teves did not personally appear before the investigating panel of prosecutors or directly submitted any form of pleading. The DOJ said that instead, the lawmaker — whose whereabouts remain unknown — filed motions to dismiss, along with one other suspect, through their respective legal representatives.
“However, considering that filing of counter-affidavits or motions to dismiss must be personally filed or verified by the respondent themselves, as expressly provided by law, their motions to dismiss were merely noted for the purpose of resolving the complaint,” the DOJ said.
This latest development on Teves came over a week after the Anti-Terrorism Council designated him as a terrorist and leader of an alleged armed group.
The congressman has also been tagged as the mastermind in the assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo in March this year.
