TIMELINE: Degamo killing and murder raps vs. Arnie Teves

It has been more than a year since the brutal killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and several other people in Pamplona, Negros Oriental on March 2023.

Citing fears for his safety, former Negros Oriental Representative Arnolfo "Arnie" Teves Jr. has yet to return to the Philippines to face the murder charges against him in connection with the deaths.

However, in June, the Timor-Leste government granted the request of the Philippine government to extradite Teves to the Philippines.

Though Teves' camp has appealed this, the Department of Justice (DOJ) maintained its confidence that Teves will soon return to the country.

How did we get here?

The government’s investigation into the killing of Degamo spanned months, starting from the attack on March 4 up until the filing of the complaints against the alleged responsible parties in July.

Below is a timeline of the significant developments during and after this period.

2023

March 4: Initial reports state that Degamo and five others were killed after an attack at the late governor’s home in Pamplona, Negros Oriental while he was distributing aid at 9:50 a.m. Degamo passed away at 11:41 a.m.

Citing witnesses, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said 10 suspects were seen fleeing from the scene.

Three of the accused — namely Joric Labrador, Joven Javier, and Benjie Rodriquez — were later arrested during hot pursuit operations while Arnil Labradilla died in an encounter with state forces.

March 5: The following day, authorities arrested one of the suspects, Osmundo Rivero, as the death toll climbed to nine.

March 6: Amid allegations that the killing was politically motivated Teves denied  on Facebook that he and his brother Henry were involved.

March 7: Prosecutors have filed murder and frustrated murder charges against Labrador, Javier, Rodriguez, Rivero, and 12 John Does before the Tanjay City Regional Trial Court (RTC).

Charges of illegal possession of firearms, ammunition, and explosives were also filed against three individuals before the Bayawan City Regional Trial Court.

March 9: Labrador named a certain “Cong. Teves” as the person behind the attack against Degamo. Labrador and Rodriguez were reportedly offered to work as security but were later assigned to join the group tasked to kill Degamo.

Teves’ legal counsel, Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, in response, called on “all concerned to observe sobriety” in their allegations against Teves.

March 10: Remulla instructed the Witness Protection Program (WPP) to give maximum effort in helping the families of the suspects to give them “a little comfort zone” and to “soften them up to be able to reveal more facts.”

March 20: Special Task Force Degamo head and Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos said one suspect surrendered over the weekend. Remulla said this suspect was a “direct participant” in the killing.

March 21: Four more “major players” in the killing surrendered. Remulla said almost everybody on the “attack team” was under police custody.

March 22: Authorities said 10 suspects were already under their custody. Remulla also said that an “organization” within Negros Oriental of seven to 10 people may be behind the killings.

Teves, who has yet to return to the country at this time, said he will not go home yet due to fears over his safety. He also appealed to authorities for “fairness” and asked them to look at all the angles in the killing of Degamo.

Due to his continued absence amid an expired travel authority, the House of Representatives unanimously slapped a 60-day suspension against him.

March 23: Remulla said all suspects under custody expressed their desire to join the Witness Protection Program.

March 27: The Justice Secretary revealed that Teves is being considered as one of the two to three masterminds in the killing of Degamo.

Topacio, for his part, described Remulla’s statements as “quite nebulous” and added that the DOJ Secretary did not say anything new.

March 31: Authorities arrested Marvin Miranda, one of the alleged masterminds in the case, after he fled Negros Oriental.

Teves’ brother, former Negros Oriental Governor Henry Pryde Teves, meanwhile, submitted a waiver of confidentiality to the DOJ. In his waiver, Pryde Henry waived his rights over his secrecy of bank deposits and communication logs.

April 3: Remulla said Teves appears to be the main mastermind in the killing of Degamo, likening him to an “executive producer” of a movie and Miranda to a “director or casting director.”

April 17: The Senate Public Order and Dangerous Drugs Committee unanimously agreed not to allow Teves to virtually attend the panel’s investigation on the killing of Degamo, requiring him to attend physically.

During the hearing, Remulla said the DOJ would seek the designation and proscription of Teves as a terrorist to force him to surrender to authorities, which the former lawmaker later said he found funny.

Teves also declined to comment on Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva’s remark that his friends saw Teves in a hotel in South Korea eating at a buffet.

May 8: The death toll in the shooting climbed to 10 after one of the persons wounded succumbed to his injuries.

May 9: Remulla said Teves entered Timor-Leste “a week ago” to seek asylum. The Department of Foreign Affairs later said Teves’ application was denied by Timor-Leste. 

May 17: The NBI filed multiple murder, multiple frustrated murder, and multiple attempted murder against Teves and others before the DOJ.

May 22: Rivero recanted his testimony and denied knowledge of the assassination and its alleged masterminds Teves and Miranda. Rivero said he was coerced into pointing to Teves.

May 23: The former legal counsel of Rivero said three other suspects — namely Antipolo, Lora, and Pataguan — also recanted.

May 31: Suspects Winrich Isturis, Eulogia Gonyon Jr., John Louie Gonyon, Joric Labrador, and Benjie Rodriguez also recanted their statements.

The House also imposed another 60-day suspension against Teves.

July 17: The murder complaints against Teves and others for the killing of Degamo have been submitted for resolution at the DOJ. Teves and the other respondents moved to dismiss the complaints against them.

August 1: The Anti-Terrorism Council designated Teves and 12 others as terrorists, citing several alleged killings and harassment in Negros Oriental.

The Council said their violations include committing terrorism; planning, training, preparing, and facilitating the commission of terrorism; recruitment to and membership in a terrorist organization; and providing material support to terrorists.

Teves’ camp said the move is no surprise, saying that the government has mobilized all the resources at its disposal in an attempt to blame Teves for a crime.

August 16: The House voted to expel Teves for disorderly conduct.

September 5: Manila RTC Branch 51 issued an e-warrant of arrest against Teves and others for the killing of Degamo.

September 29: Teves and former Senator Manny Pacquiao had a chance encounter at Timor-Leste. Viral videos on social media show Teves, in a white shirt and sunglasses, pushing through the crowd and hugging Pacquiao.

November 14: A complaint on financing terrorism under the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012 as well as the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 has been filed against Teves.

2024

January 31: Manila RTC Branch 51 has ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs to cancel the passport of Teves.

It also directed the National Bureau of Investigation to take proper steps for Teves to be brought back to the country.

According to the RTC, the prosecution established that Teves is a fugitive from justice.

February 28: Teves is included in the red notice list of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).

According to Interpol, a red notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.

However, a red notice is not an international arrest warrant.

March 21: Timor-Leste authorities arrest Teves while playing golf in Dili at 4 p.m. He was placed under the custody of the Timorese police.

June 10: Topacio said Teves was released from preventive detention in Becora Prison in Dili. However, the DOJ slammed this as “misleading,” saying the release and subsequent re-arrest of the former congressman from prison to the Polícia Nacional of Timor Leste is part of the country’s process.”

June 13: The Timor-Leste Court of Appeals ordered Teves to be placed under house arrest, saying that “the risk of flight persists for the extraditee, especially since he has the financial means to leave Timor-Leste.”

June 20: The PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) arrested Pryde Henry Teves over terrorism financing charges.

June 21: Pryde Henry Teves posted bail amounting to P600,000. 

June 27: The Timor-Leste CA grants the Philippines' request for the extradition of Teves. The DOJ welcomed the ruling, saying it looked forward to the arrival of Teves so he may face the charges against him.

July 26: Teves’ camp asked the Timor-Leste CA to reconsider its ruling granting the extradition request of the Philippines.

Topacio said their camp also appealed “various other incidents.”

August 1: The DOJ said it is “doubly confident” that Timor-Leste will affirm its earlier ruling granting the extradition request.

August 26: Topacio said the Teves camp has asked the United Nations and its special rapporteurs to look into whether there was a violation of Teves’ rights. Topacio said their camp filed the pleadings last week.—VAL/RF, GMA Integrated News