Ex-congressman Teves granted bail but stays in jail

Even though a Manila court has granted former Oriental Mindoro Congressman Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. bail in a 2019 murder case, he will remain in jail due to other pending cases—most notably the killing of Oriental Mindoro Governor Roel Degamo.

On Friday, Atty. Ferdinand Topacio confirmed that a Manila court granted bail to Teves Jr. and allowed him to post bail of P120,000 for the murder of Lester Bato, a bodyguard of a Basay mayoral candidate who was killed in May 2019.

In a decision dated August 20, 2025, the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 12 ruled that prosecutors failed to prove the presence of any qualifying circumstances, such as a “price, reward, or promise,” in Bato’s killing.

Topacio said the ruling exposes the weakness of the cases against his client, which he claims are politically motivated.

Teves is still facing multiple murder charges, including the assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and several others.

“We still have pending bail petitions in two other cases. However, this is a manifestation that the cases against Mr. Teves are weak since they are just politically motivated,” said Topacio.