May 30, 2025
MANILA – Expelled Negros Oriental 3rd District Representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. is set to return to the Philippines as he boarded a plane which will send him back to the country from Timor-Leste on Thursday.
Based on a live telecast by Timorese news outlet SMNews, Teves boarded a Philippine Air Force plane shortly after 1 p.m.
The plane departed from Timor-Leste at 2:40 p.m.
This development came after the government of Timor-Leste announced it would deport Teves, labeling him a “threat to national security.”
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has mobilized a team to facilitate Teves’ return.
“He’s already in Philippine custody, the custody of our government,” said Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla in a chance interview shortly after Teves boarded the plane.
“We will bring him home so he can face all the charges against him regarding the murder of [Negros Oriental] Governor Roel Degamo and 12 other people who were killed in March 2023,” he added.
Teves is facing multiple counts of murder and frustrated murder under the Revised Penal Code, and is wanted in connection with the killing of Degamo, also known as the Pamplona massacre.
His deportation followed his arrest by Timor-Leste immigration authorities on Tuesday evening at his residence in Dili.
READ: Teves deportation: DOJ mobilizes team to bring him back from Timor-Leste
According to Remulla, the plane will land at Villamor Air Base, where Teves will be taken to a hospital for a routine health check-up, followed by biometrics.
Teves is set to appear before the court handling his murder cases for arraignment.
When asked about Teves’ custody, Remulla said one of the National Bureau of Investigation’s facilities is being prepared.
“We will make sure he’s safe,” he added.