Marcos dismisses Teves' life threats anew

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday dismissed anew the allegations of threats to former representative Arnolfo "Arnie" Teves Jr.'s life after authorities arrested the latter in Timor-Leste while playing golf last month.

"(I am reiterating) same thing. We don't have any indication of what Teves is saying, that he's afraid for his life. We have no reports like that. No one is threatening his life," Marcos told reporters in a media interview in Bacolod City.

Teves was allegedly the mastermind behind the broad daylight killing of Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo on 4 March 2023.

However, the former representative departed the Philippines after receiving a medical travel clearance from the House of Representatives on 28 February 2023.

While Teves has made two attempts to seek political asylum in Timor-Leste, authorities arrested him several weeks after the commemoration of the late governor's first death anniversary.

The former representative, who was placed on a red notice by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) in February, is currently under police custody in Timor while negotiations between the two countries continue to work on his extradition to the Philippines.