Teves refuses to enter plea; court does it for him

Once again, the court entered a not guilty plea on behalf of former Negros Oriental Representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. after he refused to enter a plea during his arraignment on Tuesday for a 2019 murder case.

Teves personally appeared before the Manila Regional Trial Court, weeks after undergoing an appendectomy. According to his legal counsel, Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, Teves is “still protesting the manner by which he was repatriated by the Philippine government.”

The arraignment and pretrial are in relation to the killing of a provincial board member in 2019. Also charged in the 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.

Just a day earlier, a different Manila court also entered a “not guilty” plea on Teves’ behalf in a separate murder case. Topacio clarified that while the killings both occurred in 2019, they involve different victims and circumstances.

Teves, who has been expelled from the House of Representatives, is also facing multiple murder complaints related to the killing of his political rival, former Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo, and nine others.mer Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and nine others.