Teves brother implicated in Degamo murder
FACING SENATORS Pryde Henry Teves answers questions from senators during an April 17, 2023, hearing on the assassination of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and other political killings in the country. —Grig C. Montegrande
MANILA, Philippines — The police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has implicated Pryde Henry Teves, the brother of expelled lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr., in the murder cases linked to the 2023 killing of their political rival, former Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, and nine other people in Pamplona town in the province during the distribution of assistance to beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, CIDG chief, told reporters on Monday that they have submitted a complaint to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for a case buildup against Pryde and nine other respondents.
“New evidence has been uncovered, so we added it for our prosecution to study how it can be included and also be presented in court,” Torre said, noting that authorities have recovered explosives and firearms.
READ: DOJ Sec. Remulla on Degamo killing: ‘Case closed’
Following DOJ Circular No. 20, the complaint against Pryde will be evaluated to determine if there is sufficient evidence to support the charges and proceed with a preliminary investigation.
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If the evaluation confirms that all essential elements of the crime are met, the prosecutor will certify that there is enough basis to move forward with the investigation.
Article continues after this advertisementPryde is running for governor of Negros Oriental in the midterm elections in May under the Liberal Party. He has yet to issue a statement on the complaint filed by the CIDG on Monday.
In June 2024, Pryde was arrested in Dumaguete City after the Cebu City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 74 issued an arrest warrant against him for allegedly financing a local terrorist organization. He was later released after posting a P600,000 bail.
The Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) designated him as a terrorist in August 2023, along with Arnolfo and 11 others.
The ATC accused them of committing terrorism, planning and facilitating terrorist activities, recruiting members, and providing material support for terrorist organizations.
Fugitive
Arnolfo, who was abroad at the time of the murder reportedly for a stem cell treatment, did not return to the country even after his travel authority expired on March 9, 2023.
This was even before Marvin Miranda, a longtime bodyguard of Arnolfo and tagged as the comastermind behind the killings, was arrested on March 31 that year.
The Joint Task Force Negros said then that personal belongings and identification cards of gunmen involved in Degamo’s killing were found inside a sugar mill compound partially owned by Pryde.
The task force also reported that CIDG operatives discovered partially burned documents belonging to at least two of the arrested gunmen.
On May 17 of that year, the NBI filed a murder complaint against Arnolfo.
He is facing 10 counts of murder, 12 counts of frustrated murder, and four counts of attempted murder in the Manila RTC Branch 51. He, however, had denied all allegations.
Arnolfo has also been implicated in the killings of three people in 2019 in Negros Oriental and violations of the country’s gun and explosives law after authorities found assault weapons and ammunition in his family’s residential compound.
Arnolfo evaded arrest by staying in the United States on medical leave.
In August 2023, Teves was expelled from the House of Representatives for his continued pursuit of political asylum, long and unauthorized absence, and indecent behavior on social media.
He was arrested on March 21 last year while playing golf in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste. In December, the Timor-Leste appeals court granted the Philippines’ request for his extradition. —with a report from Inquirer Research
