Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 16) – Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. should reconsider his decision to stay away from the country after he was named as the alleged mastermind behind the assassination of Governor Roel Degamo, House Speaker Martin Romualdez said Thursday.
“I strongly urge Cong. Arnie [Teves] to reconsider his decision not to return. It does not sit well for a House member to flee the country rather than avail himself of all the legal remedies available to him,” Romualdez said.
“The Committee on Ethics has already acquired jurisdiction on Cong. Arnie’s case. I will act accordingly after the Committee wraps up its investigation and submits its recommendation to the House leadership,” he continued.
On March 15, the committee launched an investigation into Teves’ refusal to heed a direct order from Speaker Romualdez.
Teves received travel authority to visit the United States for medical treatment from February 28 to March 9. After this expired, Romualdez ordered Teves to return to the Philippines.
Teves wrote to Romualdez on March 9 seeking a two-month leave of absence from work, citing \”very grave security threat\” to him and his family.
His letter, however, was only received by the Speaker’s office on Wednesday, March 15, hours after the ethics panel initiated its probe.
READ: Teves asks for two-month leave due to ‘grave security threat’
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said the decision on Teves’ request and other requests he may make rests with the committee.
Teves was given five days to respond to the committee probe or to return to the country.
ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro, a member of the ethics panel, said the period given to Teves to explain was shortened from 10 days down to five as he could reply to the committee through an e-mail. She urged her colleague to justify his request for a two-month leave or return to the country as soon as possible.
“As a government employee – ako naging teacher din ako – kapag nanghihingi ka ng ganoong katagal na leave, kailangan ng justification, ng reasonable na dahilan,” she said.
[Translation: I’ve also been a teacher. If someone asks for a leave that long, it needs a justifiable reason.]
Meanwhile, Romualdez said that he met with Teves’ legal counsel on Wednesday night so that they could relay the congressman’s concerns, particularly on his safety.
Teves’ camp earlier said that once these concerns were addressed, Teves would return to the Philippines.
Romualdez told Teves’ lawyers that the congressman “should return to the country and report for work at once.”
“I also reiterated the assurance that the Speaker and the entire House leadership will exert all means necessary to pave the way for Cong. Arnie’s safe return to the country,” he added.
Aside from alleged involvement in the slay of Degamo which he has denied, Teves is also facing murder complaints over killings that happened in his province in 2019.
