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'KUNG HINDI SIYA GUILTY'
Degamo's widow reiterates call for Arnie Teves to return to PH, face allegations
By JOVILAND RITA,GMA Integrated NewsPamplona Mayor Janice Degamo, widow of slain Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo, on Tuesday again called on Representative Arnolfo "Arnie" Teves Jr. to return to the Philippines and face the allegations against him if he is not guilty.
"Kung hindi siya guilty, uwi siya dito at harapin niya ang kaso niya (If he is not guilty, he should return here and face his cases)," Mayor Janice said in an interview on GMA News’ Unang Balita.
Earlier, Mayor Janice appealed to Congress to have Teves dismissed
as a member of the House of Representatives over allegations that he was the mastermind in Governor Degamo’s killing.Teves' counsel Atty. Ferdinand Topacio said his client will participate in the House ethics committee's hearing on Monday afternoon regarding his continued absence in Congress proceedings through a video conference.
Mayor Janice questioned why Teves will participate in the hearing virtually if he is confident that he will not be arrested and that the evidence against him is weak.
“Bakit siya magvi-virtual kung confident siya na hindi siya huhulihin pagdating dahil hindi mabigat yung proof na siya ang tinuturo?” she said.
According to Mayor Janice, they will add more attachments to support the petition in the Congress.
Meanwhile, Mayor Janice said they are checking if the “Marvin” being tagged as the middleman in the killing was the same Marvin who was involved in an incident in Caticlan.
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“Pinapa-check po namin if that is the same Marvin na nahuli sa Caticlan (We are checking if that is the same Marvin arrested in Caticlan),” she said when asked if they personally knew the arrested suspects.
Joric Labrador, one of the arrested suspects, has identified a certain "Marvin" as the one who recruited them to conduct the assassination. He said they were told by Marvin that the order came from "Cong Teves.
Topacio said this was just hearsay and there is no direct evidence to prove this.
On March 4, Degamo and five others were killed while several others were injured in the attack that was pulled off while the governor was distributing aid to his constituents at his residence in Pamplona, Negros Oriental. The death toll later increased to nine.
A total of six suspects who were seen in the CCTV footage of the attack were already accounted for, police said. Four are still at large.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said authorities are now working on case buildup on the mastermind of the killing. —KG, GMA Integrated News