Teves recovering after appendectomy - counsel

Metro Manila, Philippines - Expelled Rep. Arnie Teves is recovering after undergoing an appendectomy at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila early Tuesday, June 18, his counsel said.

Prior to being transferred to the PGH for operation, Teves was rushed to a hospital - details of which were not disclosed - after experiencing severe stomach pain while in detention in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.

“He is now recuperating well,” lawyer Ferdinand Topacio told reporters in a message.

Topacio said the incident should “serve as a wake-up call” on how to respond to detainees’ health emergencies.

“If it took several hours for a high-profile prisoner such as Rep. Teves to be given medical attention, we shudder at how the BJMP (Bureau of Jail Management and Penology) will treat ordinary detainees,” Topacio said.

“It also shows how a detained person – who, after all, is presumed innocent – is deprived of his right to seek his own choice of treatment and medical professionals to attend to him, by illogical and archaic rules biased against private hospitals,” he said.

The BJMP earlier said that Teves was transported to the hospital after observing standard procedures and following the advice of its roving physician.

Teves is facing multiple charges including murder and has been tagged as the alleged mastermind in the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and nine others in 2023.