Court enters not guilty plea amid Teves protest

Once again, the court entered a not guilty plea on behalf of former Negros Oriental congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr. after he refused to enter a plea in a 2019 murder case filed against him.

Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said Teves was “still protesting the manner in which the Philippine government repatriated him.”

Teves personally appeared before the Manila Regional Trial Court weeks after undergoing an appendectomy last month.

The Tuesday arraignment and pretrial were about the 2019 killing of a provincial board member, according to Topacio.

Aside from Teves, his co-accused in this case are Hannah Mae Sumerano, Richard Cuadra, Jasper Tanasan, Alex Mayagma and Rolando Pinili.

“This case was already previously dismissed by the Department of Justice after a preliminary investigation. This was just revived. All of these are politically motivated,” Topacio said.

To recall, last Monday, another Manila court entered a “not guilty” plea on his behalf in the other murder case he is facing.

Topacio explained the murder happened in the same year but it’s a different case and a different victim thus it has different circumstances.

The former lawmaker aside from the 2019 killings, is also facing multiple murder complaints in connection with the death of his political rival, former Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, and nine others.