Teves camp says NBI's filing of murder raps 'anti-climactic'; Degamo widow says complaints 'solid'

The lawyer of suspended Negros Oriental Representative Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. on Thursday described the filing of murder and attempted murder charges against his client in relation to the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo as "anti-climactic."

Atty. Ferdinand Topacio questioned why it took a while before the cases were filed against the suspended lawmaker, despite Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla already making statements against Teves as early as March after saying that the lawmaker appears to be the main mastermind in the assassination.

“These are anti-climactic. What took them so long? We have been telling them, if you have evidence, please file them in court, before the DOJ, so we might respond to them instead of engaging in trial by publicity,” Topacio said in an interview on ANC. 

The NBI filed multiple murder, multiple frustrated murder, and multiple attempted murder charges against Teves on Wednesday in connection to the March 4 shooting at the home of Degamo that led to the death of 10 other people and the injuries of several others.

Degamo's widow, Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo, meanwhile said she understood why it took some time before the cases were filed against Teves. 

“Our wait was quite long and I would believe that because it was a long wait, it was a well-polished and a solid case, that’s as far as I know,” she said.

“I was assured that what we have on hand, what I know of what we have in terms of evidence, we will still be able to win this case,” added Degamo.

Return to Manila

Furthermore, Mayor Degamo said that she believes that Teves will not return to the Philippines on his own freewill, despite Remulla saying that the congressman already has a ticket back to Manila.

“Even if SOJ said that it came from a reliable source, in my heart, I could feel that he really wouldn't really want to go home. No doubt at all on my part that this man will not come home on his own freewill,” she said.

For his part, Topacio said that Teves might not even come home even if a search warrant is served to his client, explaining that “the right to keep oneself out of danger is a recognized right” by the Constitution and the Supreme Court.

“The return of Congressman Teves will depend only on one thing and one thing alone: whether or not the grave threats to his life and safety have abated,” he said.

On Tuesday, Remulla, citing a "reliable source" who may have access to flight data into the country, said Teves might come home on Wednesday from Timor-Leste, where his bid for political asylum was previously rejected.

Teves refuted this, saying the claim that he was returning to the Philippines was “fake news.”

Topacio also called Remulla “biased” toward the Degamo camp because he is coordinating with them, while refusing to listen to the Teves camp.

“Alam niya (Janice Degamo) na kinakampihan siya ng husto ng DOJ kaya kumpyansa sila na magkakaron ng probable cause… Talagang tag-init kami dahil biased ang Secretary of Justice, but we will play the cards that we are dealt with,” he said.

(Janice Degamo knows that the DOJ is very much on their side so they are confident that they will have probable cause. We are being targeted and the Secretary of Justice is biased, but we will play the cards that we are dealt with.)

GMA News Online sought for the comment of Remulla on the matter, but he has yet to respond as of posting time. —VAL, GMA Integrated News