Late Negros Oriental Representative Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr., charged with masterminding the 2023 murder of Governor Roel Degamo and some others in the “Pamplona massacre,” has been repatriated from Timor-Leste to the Philippines. Teves, who had stayed in Dili for more than two years while applying for asylum, was arrested for overstaying without a valid visa after his passport was revoked by the Philippine government .
The deportation comes after Timor-Leste expelled Teves as a national security risk and a potential obstacle to the nation’s upcoming membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Teves was turned over to Philippine authorities and sent back to Manila, where he is currently facing several charges of murder and frustrated murder under the Revised Penal Code.
The criminal charges follow the March 4, 2023, ambush of Governor Degamo in his home in Pamplona, Negros Oriental. While attending an aid distribution, men with military uniforms brandishing firearms fired, killing Degamo and nine others, and wounding several others. The attack was recorded on security cameras and sparked outrage across the country.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomed Teves’ return with the statement, “It is now time for Arnie Teves to face justice.” The Department of Justice has reassured the public that due process will strictly be followed as Teves faces legal proceedings in the Philippines. arrested in East Timor”
