Teves arraignment set; NBI halts jail transfer

Former Negros Oriental representative Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. is set to be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday before Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 12 on charges of murder and illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

But before the hearing, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) decided to hold off on transferring him to the Manila City Jail.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago confirmed that one Manila court had issued a commitment order for Teves’ transfer. However, he explained that they are stopping the move temporarily since multiple courts are handling the separate cases against Teves, and the conflicting orders could create confusion.

“What if one court sends him to Manila City Jail, another orders him to Bicutan, and another to somewhere else?” Santiago said in Filipino. “So I told our warden to hold the transfer until we clarify things.”

Thursday’s arraignment, to be presided over by Judge Renato Enciso, will only address one murder charge and the weapons cases. But these are only a fraction of the legal issues Teves is facing.

The former lawmaker is also up against 10 counts of murder, 13 counts of frustrated murder, and four counts of attempted murder pending before Manila RTC Branch 51. He is facing additional murder cases before Manila RTC Branch 15 and the Bayawan RTC Branch 63, as well as terrorism financing charges lodged at Quezon City RTC Branch 77.

All these charges stem from a string of violent incidents in Negros Oriental, the most notorious being the March 2023 assassination of Governor Roel Degamo.

Teves, who was recently deported by Timor-Leste, has consistently denied all the allegations against him, calling the charges politically motivated.

Security has been significantly tightened at the Manila RTC complex in anticipation of today’s high-profile hearing. Santiago said the NBI is making sure Teves’s rights are respected and that he will remain secure and in custody.

Teves’s camp has filed a motion to consolidate the many cases against him, but Santiago said they are waiting for the courts’ decision on how to proceed.

“Let’s wait for the final ruling from the Manila courts — there are several of them,” he said. “Only then can we determine where exactly congressman Teves should be turned over.”