Manila court enters 鈥榥ot guilty鈥� plea for Teves in firearms case
PRETRIAL HEARING Ex-House lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr., in an orange prison shirt, leaves the courthouse clutching a water bottle and a book. — Photo by Jane Bautista
MANILA, Philippines — On his first day in a Philippine court to face the multiple criminal cases against him, expelled Negros Oriental congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr. invoked his right to remain silent on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, prompting the court to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf.
In a virtual press briefing afterward, his lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, explained that Teves did not enter a plea due to certain “legal complications” in Timor-Leste, citing how the Timorese government had turned his client over to Philippine authorities despite the writ of habeas corpus issued by a Timorese court in his favor.
The arraignment and pretrial for the two cases lasted nearly three hours at the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 12, with almost half of the small courtroom in the old Ombudsman building in Ermita, Manila, occupied by reporters.
Teves, wearing an orange detainee shirt issued by the National Bureau of Investigation, glanced every now and then at the audience, attempting to make eye contact with journalists at the back of the courtroom, occasionally nodding at them, winking, and even flashing a finger heart pose.
At one point, he asked the court to remove his handcuffs, a request that was granted by Presiding Judge Renato Enciso.
Aside from facing multiple murder complaints in connection with the killing of his political rival, former Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, Teves is also facing two separate cases: one for illegal possession of explosives under Section 3 of Presidential Decree No. 1866, as amended by Republic Act No. 9516, and another for illegal possession of firearms under Section 28(b) of RA 10591.
The charges stemmed from a police raid conducted on Mar. 10, 2023, on two houses belonging to him in Barangay Malabugas, Bayawan City, which led to the confiscation of a hand grenade, a .45-caliber pistol and magazine, two .40-caliber pistols and magazines, a rifle scope, and other weapons.
Thursday’s pretrial hearing consisted of the marking of evidence and the identification of witnesses from both the prosecution and the defense.
Teves’ other lawyer, Joselito Lomangaya, asked if his client, who is currently detained at the National Bureau of Investigation facility in the Bureau of Corrections in Muntinlupa City, could attend the succeeding hearings via videoconference. The court said it would study the motion.
Lomangaya also manifested their intention to seek bail.
The prosecution team, led by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Mary Jane Sytat, is eyeing presenting 13 witnesses, including an explosive technician; police and barangay officers who implemented and witnessed the execution of the search warrants; the Teves family’s househelp; and possibly a member of the police’s Special Action Force.
