CA delists Pryde Henry Teves as terrorist

MANILA, Philippines — The Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered the delisting of former Negros Oriental governor Pryde Henry Teves as a terrorist, ruling that his designation by the government was baseless and constituted a grave abuse of discretion under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

In a 45-page decision penned by Associate Justice Ruben Reynaldo Roxas, the CA’s special former Sixth Division found that the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) designated Teves as a terrorist without establishing probable cause.

The appellate court also ordered the lifting of the freeze order on Teves’ assets issued by the Anti-Money Laundering Council, saying it was likewise unjustified.

In July 2023, the ATC designated Teves, his brother former lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr., and 11 others as terrorists following the assassination of then Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo.

The council accused them of maintaining a private armed group that allegedly carried out a “reign of terror” in the province.

However, the CA ruled that ATC Resolution 43 failed to explain how Teves supposedly committed acts that warranted his designation as a terrorist.

“This, by itself, is already a basis for a finding of grave abuse of discretion. Worse, it became manifest during the proceedings that respondents’ finding of probable cause is founded on a gross misapprehension of the facts and gross application of the ATA,” the ruling read.

The court noted that the government’s witnesses had no personal knowledge that Teves masterminded or ordered the crimes attributed to him, relying instead on “mere suspicion” based on the belief that the victims were political opponents, critics, or individuals who refused to comply with alleged demands for financial gain.

The CA declared Teves’ terrorist designation “baseless and uncalled for,” stressing that labeling him as such was “not justice.”

While recognizing the need for a pragmatic approach in combating terrorism, the court emphasized that such efforts “must not come at the expense of human rights and due process.”