BACOLOD City – Local parties United Negros Alliance (UNegA) and Love Negros (LN) expressed support to Bacolod City’s Mayor Alfredo Benitez following the statements made by controversial Negros Oriental 3rd District congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr.
UNegA secretary-general and Cadiz City mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. said they and LN’s support for Benitez remains strong, pointing out that they regularly consult him regarding how he is running Bacolod City.
Escalante also said he has limited knowledge of the private dealings of Benitez, and the same goes with Teves.
“I am actually bound by certain laws. The Terrorism Financing Preventive Suppression Act of 2012 specifies that any person, association, company, etcetera, directly or indirectly dealing with designated terrorists will be subjected to certain penalties. And in fact, the penalties even go as far as reclusion perpetua,” Benitez said in a recent press conference.
In a statement on Aug. 1, Teves referred to Benitez as “boss”.
“Alam niyo naman boss ko si Albee Benitez, ‘di ba? Ka-negosyo ko rin. Kaibigan ko pero ngayon nga ‘di na ako pinapansin,” Teves said. “Ayoko sana na pangalanan kita, pero masyado na akong iniipit… Paki-bayaran naman ‘yung utang mo sa akin. Maawa ka naman sa pamilya ko.”
He, his brother and former Negros Oriental governor Pryde Henry Teves, and 11 others were tagged as terrorists by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) over allegations that they were responsible for a string of murder incidents in Negros Oriental as well as the Pamplona massacre, which claimed the lives of 10 individuals, including then-Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo.
Meanwhile, Benitez said in response to Tevez: “I am the first person that would never, ever break the law.”
Benitez added: “I have heard nga may mga allegations of certain business dealings, but as of now, I have no paper or any document that specifies or even indicates any association. But if he [Teves] says there is, siling ko gani, then that is something I will discuss with (Justice) Secretary Boy [Remulla], and I will take it up with him. It is the proper authorities that should handle this.”
Benitez and Teves were together from 2013 to 2016 in Congress as members of the Visayan bloc./PN
