Teves camp cries foul over ‘warlord’ issue

The legal counsel of former Negros Oriental Third District Representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. on Thursday lambasted the allegations made by Department of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla that the former solon is being protected by "warlords" in Asia.

In a statement, Atty. Ferdinand Topacio stressed that Remulla is "shooting from the hip."

"Which 'warlords' is he talking about? Who are these 'warlords'? How do they even qualify as warlords? Mr. Remulla, could you please identify who these warlords are and where and why they are considered warlords?" Topacio said.

"Please do not hide behind your stock answer of purportedly not dignifying questions from us, which we all know is the way of the weakling. These are legitimate questions," he added.

"You and I know that you have to consistently keep up your barrage of B.S. against Mr. Teves as your way of kissing the posteriors of your political superiors for your own ends, but there should be limits, even for you. There must be some sense of decency at long last," Topacio stressed.

The remarks come after Remulla on Wednesday said Teves, the alleged mastermind in the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo, is still in southeast Asia allegedly being protected by local warlords.

"Under the ASEAN, we can actually ask them more upfront about what's happening in their country, especially if it's somebody who is a known terrorist being harbored by anybody," Remulla earlier said.

The DoJ chief previously said that Teves was going back and forth between Timor-Leste — where he previously sought asylum — Cambodia and Thailand, adding that the Justice department is also preparing a letter to the United Nations to call on other countries to help bring Teves back to the Philippines for trial.