The Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 12 has scheduled hearings for three criminal cases against expelled Negros Oriental Representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. through 2026.
The court held a pre-trial on Tuesday for the cases, which include two counts of murder and one count of illegal possession of firearms.
Teves, who remains abroad, attended the pre-trial via video teleconference, according to his legal counsel, Atty. Ferdinand Topacio.
“What happened here is that the court held a pre-trial with respect to Congressman Teves, kasi nung una pong nagka-pre-trial, he was still in Timor Leste. Nagkaroon po ng setting ng mga cases, 'yung hearings for two things, number one, 'yung petition for bail,” Topacio said.
He added, “We requested the court to order the prosecution to ibalik ang mga witnesses para kami naman ang mag-cross-examine.”
Topacio confirmed that the court has scheduled hearings on the main cases, with proceedings expected to continue until 2026. The next hearing is set for August 4.
He also stressed that Teves' camp is not delaying the case.
He said, “Our camp also wants the case to be resolved,” contrary to claims that they are trying to prolong the proceedings.