Teves family hopes Rep. Arnie will come home

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 27) – The family of Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. is hopeful that he will soon come home and face the accusations against him.

"We don't have intention to leave the province and we are the one facing all these. It is our hope that he will finally decide to come,” the lawmaker’s brother, former Negros Oriental Governor Pryde Henry Teves, said in an exclusive interview with CNN Philippines on Monday.

He also believes his brother will be safe upon return to the Philippines as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself vowed to provide security to the congressman.

On Feb. 28, Rep. Teves went to the United States for medical treatment. He has since been out of the country despite calls for him to return to the Philippines to face the accusations against him.

The Department of Justice revealed that it was considering him as one of the potential masterminds behind the assassination of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo.

READ: SOJ: Rep. Teves among the suspected masterminds behind Degamo assassination

A suspect behind the shooting also named the congressman as a mastermind.

Meanwhile, a sugar mill owned by Pryde Teves was raided by authorities. They found ₱18 million in cash, guns, ammo, a rocket-propelled grenade, and an improvised explosive device.

Dumaguete-based journalist Roy Bustillo contributed to this story.