No special treatment for Teves in Bilibid — lawyer

Metro Manila, Philippines - The camp of expelled Rep. Arnie Teves Jr. on Saturday, May 31, said the former lawmaker is not receiving any special treatment at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.

According to lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, Teves will be detained in a ten-square meter cell with a bunk bed and another inmate.

“We have agreed to abide by ALL rules for detention prisoners, including sharing of cells,” Topacio said in a message to reporters.

Topacio added that Teves will be sharing with his bunkmate a common toilet bowl and a small electric fan, “the same as any other cell.”

“There is no special treatment for Mr. Teves. Just sharing the info,” he added.

After his deportation from Timor-Leste, Teves appeared in a press conference at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and insisted that his “conscience is clear” amid multiple murder charges.

In the briefing, NBI Director Jaime Santiago said Teves would have a solo room to "acclimate him” to being a detainee.

Teves has been tagged as the alleged mastermind in the killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and his followers. Teves is facing 13 counts each of murder and frustrated murder and four counts of attempted murder for crimes committed between 2019 to 2023.