Timor-Leste’s application to become a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is in jeopardy, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Tuesday.

This after Timor-Leste’s Court of Appeals denied the Philippine government plea for the extradition of former Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. who is facing murder and frustrated murder charges in a Manila Regional Trial Court.

“It is not going to be pleasant for Timor-Leste because they’re applying to be in ASEAN, and we are one of the founding fathers of ASEAN,” Remulla said.

In addition to the Philippines, ASEAN is composed of Brunei Darussalam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is in ongoing discussions with Timor-Leste on the extradition of Teves.

‘For them to go into certain matters that are intrinsically local to us, it’s a big stretch.’

“All they have to do is deport him. That’s all they have to do,” Remulla said, adding that Teves’ passport has been canceled.

The Timor-Leste Court of Appeals issued two rulings last year approving Manila’s extradition request, but on Teves’s third appeal, it ruled against returning him to the Philippines.

“For them to go into certain matters that are intrinsically local to us, it’s a big stretch,” Remulla said.

Last year, Teves was designated a terrorist by the Anti-Terrorism Council in connection with the multiple murder charges he is facing, including for the 4 March 2023 deaths in Pamplona, Negros Oriental where provincial governor Roel Degamo and nine others were killed.

Manila RTC Branch 51, where the cases were assigned, issued a warrant for Teves’ arrest on 5 September 2023 and subsequently issued another order on 5 February 2024 directing the DFA to cancel his passport.

Teves initially fled to Cambodia and then went to Timor-Leste where local police arrested him on 21 March 2024 under a Red Notice issued by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).

Late last year, the Timor-Leste Court of Appeals allowed Teves’ release from custody while his extradition case was pending. Alvin Murcia