Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo, the widow of the late Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo, on Friday welcomed the arrest of former lawmaker Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. in Timor-Leste, calling it “an answered prayer.”

“Matagal-tagal kaming nagdasal at naghintay na talagang this day would come, and praise God po, na talagang nahuli na talaga siya. Wala kaming mapaglagyan ng aming tuwa (We prayed and waited for a long time for this day would really come, and praise God, that he was really caught. We are overjoyed). We’re really happy about this development,” she said on GMA’s Balitanghali.

Teves is accused of masterminding the 4 March 2023 assassination of her husband by armed men who barged into their home in Barangay San Isidro, Pamplona, Negros Oriental, as the governor was distributing aid. Nine others were also killed.

According to the Department of Justice, he was arrested on Thursday afternoon, 21 March, at a golf driving range in Dili, Timor-Leste’s capital.

The DoJ said the International Criminal Police Organization’s (Interpol) National Central Bureau in Dili is coordinating with a team from Manila and the Philippine Embassy on Teves’ extradition to the Philippines.

See him in jail

Degamo said the family would not say anything to Teves when he returns.

“I think it would be enough for us to be able to see him in jail and, once and for all, prove that jail is for everyone, not only the poor, the deprived, the people who are not connected,” she said.

Degamo said she has also talked with the families of the other victims.

“Yesterday, nagtawagan kami, nag ano pa nga, nag agree kami na magpamisa kami and talagang, wala, mahirap po siya i-explain. Talagang everyone is happy (We called each other yesterday and we agreed to hold a mass. It’s hard to explain. Everyone is just really happy),” she said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday said the government would take all necessary actions to bring the former congressman back to the Philippines to face the charges against him.

In a social media post, Marcos thanked the law enforcement agencies and its international partners for their collaborative efforts in arresting Teves in Timor-Leste.

Marcos Jr. commended the coordinated operation, emphasizing the government’s commitment to ensuring justice prevails in this case.

“I commend the collaborative efforts of our law enforcement agencies and our international partners in the successful arrest of former congressman Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. in Timor-Leste,” Marcos wrote in X (formerly Twitter).

“I assure the Filipino people that we will spare no effort to ensure that justice prevails in this case,” Marcos added.

Red notice

Teves was placed on the Interpol red notice in February. A red notice is a request for law enforcement worldwide to locate and arrest a person pending his extradition, surrender or similar legal action.

In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Justice spokesperson Mico Clavano said the red notice was the basis for Teves’ arrest in Timor-Leste.

“‘Yun po yung naging basis din kung bakit gumalaw at naaresto si former Congressman Teves (That was the basis and reason for Congressman Teves’s arrest),” Clavano said.

Teves was spotted in Timor-Leste in September 2023 after a chance encounter with a former senator. He had sought asylum in the country but was denied.

Clavano said Teves’s motion for reconsideration of his asylum request was also denied.

Other charges

The former lawmaker is facing murder, frustrated murder, and attempted murder charges for the killing of Degamo and nine others at the governor’s home.  Teves and others have also been charged in the deaths of three other individuals in Negros Oriental in 2019.

He was designated a terrorist along with 11 others in the Degamo killing by the Anti-Terrorism Council in August 2023. He has repeatedly denied the allegations against him.

Teves was expelled by the House of Representatives in August for disorderly conduct and continued absence despite an expired travel authority. 

“Today’s apprehension of Teves is a testament to the power of international cooperation. It sends a clear message that no terrorist can evade justice and that nations stand united in safeguarding the safety and security of their citizens,” DoJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said.

Teves is in the custody of the Timorese Police while the NCB-Dili is working out his extradition to the Philippines in coordination with a team from Interpol NCB-Manila and the Philippine Embassy in Dili.

“The capture of Teves only proves that through a concerted effort and with determination, terrorism can be thwarted and peace preserved,” he said.

“Face your long-delayed trial without setting any conditions; face the courts squarely,” Remulla advised Teves. “Rest assured, the DoJ remains committed to providing regular updates on Teves’s return to the Philippines.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday confirmed the cancelation of the passport of Teves.

 DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza disclosed the status of Teves’ passport a day after the latter was nabbed in Timor Leste while playing golf.

 “It has been canceled, per info from OCA (Office of Consular Affairs),” Daza told reporters in a text message.

 Teves was believed to be the mastermind behind the killing of his political rival former Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo and eight others last year.

 Teves, who had been expelled as a member of the House of Representatives last August, was declared as a terrorist by the Anti-Terrorism Council.

 His brother, former Negros Oriental governor Pryde Henry Teves, and 11 others, were also tagged as terrorists.  

Jom Garner