EDITORIAL - Move this case forward

It seems that Mary Jane Veloso will not be only Filipino detained abroad coming home soon. This after Timor-Leste approved the extradition of former Negros Oriental congressman Arnulfo Teves back to the Philippines.

For those who have forgotten who Teves was in the brouhaha of recent political events involving the vice president and her confidential funds, he is the man police are holding responsible for the murder of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo in March 4, 2023.

Yes, that crime has remained unsolved until now. Teves was abroad when the killing happened and no longer returned to the Philippines after learning that he was wanted. He argued his innocence and was bouncing around several countries in Asia before eventually being arrested in Timor-Leste last March.

Note that at this point we are still not saying that he is definitely responsible for this crime. No. It is up to the court to decide on his guilt or his innocence. But at least this development, his finally being taken to the Philippines to face the accusations against him, moves the case --which has been stalled for a long time-- forward.

And if Teves is proven innocent as he so insists, then the police can quickly move on to other leads in the crime.

The Degamo murder can arguably be considered as the most brazen crime ever committed against a sitting Philippine official. The confidence with which the killers thought they could just waltz into the home of a high-profile individual, shoot him along with eight others, and then get away with it leaves a bad taste in our mouth.

It also makes us common individuals fear for our lives. If someone with political influence or power was just easily killed, then what about the rest of us with none of those?