Teves, 6 other face illegal gun charges

MANILA, Philippines — Police have filed criminal complaints against Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. and six other persons in connection with the firearms and explosives seized from the lawmaker’s properties.

The police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said yesterday it filed charges before the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Sunday against Teves, Jose Pablo Gimarangan and Roland Pablio for violation of Republic Act 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act and illegal possession of explosives under RA 9516.

Charged for violating RA 10591 were Hannah Mae Sumerano, Heracleo Oray, Rodolfo Maturan and Joseph Kyle Maturan.

Teves was not present during the raids while the six were arrested by policemen.

The complaints were in connection with the raids at Teves’ properties in Basay town wherein firearms, explosives and ammunition were seized, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said at a news briefing.

Fajardo said the CIDG has another set of complaints for the weapons seized in properties owned by Teves’ family in Bayawan City.

Aside from Teves, the CIDG said the lawmaker’s sons Kurt Matthew and Axel will also be included in the charge sheet.

“I understand they are ready to file the necessary cases against Cong. Teves and his two sons,” Fajardo said, as she refused to get into a war of words with Teves’ lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, who claimed there were red flags in the police operation.

Teves calls Speaker

Speaker Martin Romualdez disclosed that Rep. Teves called him up on Monday night to express his fears about coming home from the US.

“I assured him that the Speaker, as the political and administrative leader of the House of Representatives, will exert all efforts to ensure the personal safety of all members,” he said in a statement, noting that Teves’ phone call came “from an undetermined location.”

“He expressed fear for the safety of his person and his family, saying this is the reason why he refuses to return home at this time,” he said further.

The Speaker nevertheless ordered the House sergeant-at-arms to “coordinate with law enforcement agencies and prepare appropriate security arrangements for his return.”

“But I repeated it to Cong. Arnie, he needs to go home and report for work immediately as he no longer has the authority to travel outside the country. We in Congress also want to hear his side of the story,” Romualdez said.

“If there is a case he has to face here, then he should face it here inside the country – and not from the outside,” the House leader stressed, noting that Teves’ travel authority had expired last March 9.

Transfer to Manila

Criminal cases filed in connection with the assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo will now be heard in the Regional Trial Court of Manila after the Supreme Court (SC) granted the Department of Justice’s request to transfer the proceedings to Metro Manila, where suspects in the deadly attack were transferred for protective custody.

A statement released by the SC said the decision was reached during the en banc deliberations yesterday about Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla’s formal request for case transfer addressed to Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo.

Court Administrator Raul Villanueva said in a memorandum for the Chief Justice that “a change of venue to Manila would be in the best interest of all parties involved” and it “will provide a neutral venue where the trial can be conducted fairly and impartially, free from any undue influence or bias.”

Based on court records, Remulla made the request due to the hostility of locals against the suspects currently in DOJ custody, the political complexion surrounding the cases and the logistical difficulties of conducting the trial in the province.

Prosecution panel

President Marcos has ordered the DOJ to form a prosecution panel that will evaluate all the criminal cases in the killing of Degamo and eight others, Remulla said yesterday shortly after he met with the President and Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin to brief them on the cases related to the attack.

“(The President) says he wants the Negros Oriental situation stabilized and resolved. We’re doing everything to solve the problems, answer the questions, gather the evidence, identify the masterminds and look for persons of interest,” Remulla said.

So far, at least nine murder complaints have been filed against the suspects, as well as 15 for frustrated murder, three for attempted murder and several other complaints for possession of firearms and explosives.

Remulla added the DOJ has started “constituting a panel of prosecutors to handle the Negros Oriental cases and that’s the instruction of the President, that the panel would be able to evaluate the cases so that no stone would be left unturned in solving these problems. The criminal cases will be evaluated.”

No more mistakes

PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. yesterday urged new police officials not to repeat the mistakes made by policemen in Negros Oriental, which gave an opening to armed men in killing Degamo.

Azurin gave the reminder to the 186 police lieutenants who graduated from the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) who were formally welcomed to the police force during a Badge of Honor ceremony at Camp Crame.

“If you are the chief, if your mayor or governor has an activity, you must deploy security,” he said in Filipino in a speech. “Every shortcoming that you make in the field, especially if it becomes sensational, it’s not your fault, not the PD (provincial director), not the RD (regional director), it’s the fault of the Chief PNP,” he said.

Meanwhile, Fajardo said there was nothing irregular in the absence of some of Degamo’s escorts on the day he was killed, stating that the four policemen who were part of his security detail were working in shifts, with two police officers on duty every shift.

On the day Degamo was killed, two of his police officers were on their scheduled day off. Of the other two, only one was present as the other police officer attended a family activity.

“One was on duty and one came in late because he has to attend a family gathering during that day but he informed in advance,” Fajardo said at a news briefing.

She said Degamo himself personally chose the police officers as his security escorts.

Sen. JV Ejercito over the weekend called for a probe after he received reports that only one of the six PNP personnel assigned to Degamo was present at the time of the assassination. Ejercito said the police officers should be investigated for supposedly “conspiring with the mastermind.”

Private armies

Ejercito also urged yesterday the Armed Forces (AFP) and the PNP to dismantle all existing private armies in the country.

“I’m hoping that with the deployment of troops and PNP personnel, the government can already catch and apprehend all of these killers. What is more important is to disband private armies all around the country. The way that Governor Degamo was killed, it was well-funded,” Ejercito said.

“The equipment used and the firearms were sophisticated and expensive. At the same time, you can see the movement of those assailants. You can see that they underwent close-quarter battle training. Very coordinated,” he concluded. – Delon Porcalla, Neil Jayson Servallos, Paolo Romero