POLICE have raided several residences owned by Representative Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. in Negros Oriental, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. confirmed on Friday, March 10, 2023.
In a television interview, Abalos said the raids, which started early Friday, March 10, by virtue of a search warrant over illegal firearms, are ongoing.
Abalos said the Philippine National Police Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO) is conducting an annual review of all the gun licensees and it has long been identified that Teves submitted “spurious” documents.
“Spurious kasi ‘yung mga documents niya nung araw pa eh kaya nga sinasabi ko nga sa FEO bakit hindi niyo pakuha yan. Spurious yan eh. I mean dapat walang karapatang magdala ng baril yan dahil para magbigay ka ng spurious documents, talagang hindi pupuwede yan. May requirement ka pagkatapos ay hindi pala totoo ‘yung mga requirement mo, automatic null and void, walang bisa yan,” the DILG secretary said.
(His documents were spurious, that's why I told the FEO, why don't you take them? That's spurious. I mean, that person should not have the right to carry a gun because for you to provide spurious documents, that is absolutely not allowed. You have a requirement, then it turns out that your requirements are not true, automatically null and void, that is invalid.)
“Isipin niyo naman antagal na kinansela niyan (gun license of Teves). Bakit sa tagal niyan, halos ilang buwan na kailan lang daw nag-surrender. ‘Yung isang abugado niya, dinala raw kahapon lang. Isipin niyo talaga yan di ba. Anong klaseng attitude yan. Dapat kung alam kung congressman ka pa, dapat matagal mo na ginawa yan, hindi ba?” he added.
(Think about how long that (gun license of Teves) has been canceled, but he surrendered it just a few months back. His lawyer was brought in yesterday. Think about that. What kind of attitude is that? If you are a congressman, you should have done that a long time ago, right?)
Abalos said the raid is related to the murder charges filed against Teves and five other individuals on Tuesday, March 7, by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on the basis of the 2019 killings of three individuals in Negros Oriental.
In a separate interview, Ferdinand Topacio, lead counsel of Teves, said they are already aware of the ongoing raid.
“Nakarating na sa amin at ang kinalulungkot ko ay dumating daw raiding party may mga naka stand by naman po doon na mga tao mga occupants ay pinalabas, pati abogado pinalabas, ayaw papasukin. Yun po ang initial report na nakuha ko po,” he said.
(It has reached us and it’s sad to know that the raiding party arrived there. There are people on standby. The occupants, even the lawyer, have been let out. They were not allowed to go in. That's the initial report I got.)
Topacio said he is yet to get a copy of the search warrant.
He said they are currently contacting Teves, who is in the United States for medical reasons, to inform him of what is going on.
Topacio said they have already predicted the conduct of the raid.
In a press conference in January, Teves said he received information from reliable sources that Abalos has ordered some agencies to secure a search warrant for the conduct of a raid in his house and to “plant evidence” once they do not get anything during the operations just to ensure the filing of charges against him.
Teves was tagged as the mastermind in the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo over the weekend.
Aside from Degamo, eight other individuals, including his security aides and innocent civilians, were also killed, while more than 10 others were severely hurt.
Topacio said Teves assured him that he will face all the allegations against him, but he noted that all the alleged pieces of evidence linking the lawmaker to Degamo’s killing were “hearsay.” (SunStar Philippines)