Manila court issues arrest warrant vs. Teves over Pamplona massacre

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 5) — A Manila court on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant against former Negros Oriental Rep. Arnie Teves over the killing of Gov. Roel Degamo and nine others in Pamplona.

Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 51 Presiding Judge Merianthe Pacita Zuraek signed the arrest warrant naming Teves among the co-accused.

"The court resets the arraignment and pre-trial conference to October 4, 2023, Wednesday at 1:30 in the afternoon," the document read.

In a briefing on Tuesday, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said he was confident that the court would issue an arrest warrant against Teves.

"This is a waiting game, you have to be patient, you have to wait for the results properly, at [and] we have to give time to the institutions that are in charge of their different responsibilities to look at the Teves case and to cast their judgment on these matters, especially with the issuance of warrant of arrest if ever," he said.

Remulla also said he still believes that Teves is in Timor Leste, and continues to travel to Cambodia and Thailand.

"After this is done, then we will have to write the United Nations to inform them of this, the designated terrorist now has murder cases and they should stand for trial in our country and that we are asking them to ask the member states of the UN to acknowledge their duty of rendition so to bring back Teves to the Philippines for trial," he added.

Teves was expelled from the House of Representatives in August due to “disorderly behavior and for violation of the Code of Conduct of the House of Representatives.”

The Committee on Ethics cited as basis of Teves' expulsion his continued absence without leave and his pursuit of political asylum in Timor-Leste. It said such acts are as good as abandonment of public office.

It also cited Teves’ recent designation as a terrorist and his “indecent behavior” on social media.

The embattled former lawmaker is also facing murder cases over the killings in Negros Oriental in 2019.