鈥楩light risk鈥�: Court moves Teves from NBI to Taguig jail
PRETRIAL HEARING Ex-House lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr., in an orange prison shirt, leaves the courthouse clutching a water bottle and a book. —Jane Bautista
MANILA, Philippines — Calling him a “flight risk,” a Manila judge has ordered the transfer of expelled lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr. from the detention facility of the National Bureau of Investigation to the Metro Manila District Jail in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.
In a ruling dated June 9, Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 51 Presiding Judge Merianthe Pacita Zuraek denied the request of the former Negros Oriental congressman to remain in the NBI’s custody, citing his previous attempt to evade prosecution.
“We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that accused Teves Jr. was able to flee to another country prior to his eventual repatriation, more than a year after the case was filed. This court cannot take the chance on a flight risk such as the accused himself,” the court said.
It further noted that there were no threats to the former lawmaker’s safety or life, and his motion appeared to be an attempt to choose a detention facility “for his own convenience.”
READ: Manila court enters not guilty plea for Teves in multiple murder case
Like his other coaccused in the murder of former Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, Teves was classified by the court as a “high risk, high profile, high value target person deprived of liberty (PDL).” It said the Metro Manila District Jail Annex 2 at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology compound in Camp Bagong Diwa was a more secure facility capable of providing heightened security.
At the same time, the court also allowed Teves to attend the trial proceedings via videoconference.
In their motion asking for Teves to remain under NBI custody, his legal team argued that the bureau’s detention facility was secure and not overcrowded, thus posing no physical risk to him.
They also contended that, under the certificate of handover signed by the Department of Justice, Teves may only be detained in a government facility under the department’s supervision.
They further cited the cases of Senators Ramon Revilla Jr., Jinggoy Estrada, Leila de Lima, and Juan Ponce Enrile, who were previously allowed to be detained at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame.
Sole authority
The prosecution, however, countered that the court has the sole authority to determine the proper detention facility for Teves
It argued that invoking protection from torture or inhuman treatment does not entitle the former lawmaker to exclusive accommodations, while the certificate of handover does not supersede the country’s criminal procedures.
The Manila court agreed with the prosecution’s argument, ruling that the certificate of handover cannot override Philippine remedial laws, which grant courts the power to decide where prisoners should be held.
Teves’ allegation that he was subjected to torture was rejected by the court as “not only unfounded but is an outright insult to the trained professionals that run facilities for PDLs.”
“While the detention facilities in our country may not possess the luxuries a person may have been accustomed to, the detention therein does not automatically make it inhuman or degrading treatment upon a detainee’s mere say-so. The current state of jail facilities is but a mere incident of the limited financial capability of the state,” it added.
The court also emphasized that unlike the senators previously cited, Teves is facing accusations of violent crimes and has been designated a terrorist by the government so his security, both inside and outside detention, is a “primordial concern” for the court.
After two years of evading authorities and fleeing to Timor-Leste, Teves was deported to Manila on May 29 following an administrative order from the Timorese government for his immediate deportation. He had sought asylum there in 2023, but his request was denied until he was eventually arrested in Dili on March 21, 2024. /cb
