MANILA – The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will next work to gaining custody of former Negros Oriental congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr. from Timor Leste.
According to Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos, the government is working on bringing back Teves after the recent capture of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo and Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder Apollo Quiboloy.
“Hopefully makukuha na rin si Teves,” Abalos said before a crowd in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Sunday evening.
Teves is charged over the death of Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo.
The Department of Justice previously said they were coordinating with the DILG and other agencies, as Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta wants to send Teves back to the Philippines.
Timor-Leste in August denied Teves’ motion for reconsideration to reverse the extradition granted against him, after its Court of Appeals granted the Philippines’ request in June to have him extradited.
Teves was arrested in Dili, Timor Leste in March while playing golf based on the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) red notice issued against him in February.
The red notice stemmed from the multiple murder charges filed against Teves for the killing of Degamo and others at the home of the then-governor in Negros Oriental on March 4, 2023.
Aside from the murder of Degamo, Teves and others have also been charged with the deaths of three individuals in Negros Oriental in 2019.
Teves and 12 others have also been designated as terrorists by the Anti-Terrorism Council, citing several alleged killings and harassment in Negros Oriental.
He was also expelled by the House of Representatives in August last year for disorderly conduct and continued absence despite an expired travel authority./PN
