Suspended Negros Oriental Third District Representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. (Photo from Teves’ Facebook page)
The ATC approved Resolution No. 43 on July 26 to designate Teves Jr. and 12 other individuals as the “Teves Terrorist Group” for allegedly violating the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.
The resolution identified the members of the group as Congressman Arnolfo “Arnie” Alipit Teves Jr., Pryde Henry A. Teves, Marvin H. Miranda, Rogelio C. Antipolo, Rommel Pattaguan, Winrich B. Isturis, John Louie Gonyon, Daniel Lora, Eulogio Gonyon Jr., Tomasino Aledro, Nigel Electona, Jomarie Catubay and Hannah Mae Sumero Oray.
In is stated in the resolution that after the death of former Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo, Congressman Teves was tagged as the mastermind of the crime where the names of other persons also surfaced.
Degamo was shot to death inside his residential compound in Barangay San Isidro, Pamplona town on March 4, 2023.
He was attending to the beneficiaries of the government’s cash dole-out program outside his house at 9:45 a.m. when a group of unidentified men wearing pixelized uniforms and in full battle gear entered the compound and opened fire.
The governor was shot several times by the assailants.
The incident also killed eight people and injured 17 others.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesperson of Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) Chief Brigadier General Anthony Aberin, said they welcomed the proclamation because it was consistent with their determination to dissipate the armed groups in Negros Oriental.
In light of the ATC’s designation of the group as a terrorist organization, Pelare stated that the government will pursue legal measures to dismantle the organization that is feared in Negros Oriental.
“Police Regional Office 7 welcomes this development, as declared by the Anti-Terrorism Council because this is actually in consonance with our efforts in Negros Oriental to weed out the armed groups there,” according to Pelare.
Pelare explained that what the police in Central Visayas will do is to follow the legal procedure such as serving the arrest warrant that the court will issue against the members of “Teves Terrorist Group.”
“But now we will still be waiting for the actual official instruction from the Philippine National Police as how to do with the implementation of this declaration, but we assured the public that PRO 7 is very prepared and in fact we have been working on this and there are operational accomplishments towards this already,” he added.(AYB, TPT)
