BY JOEL CALAMBA ESCOL, Managing Editor
The 292 lawmakers of the House of Representatives have unanimously voted for the suspension of the beleagured congressman of the 3rd District of Negros Oriental from the roster of its members.
Teves’s suspension, it was learned, was the result of his continued denial to go home and answer all allegations against him in court, as well as in the ethics committee of the House of Representatives.
Cong Arnie Teves, suspected mastermind of the killing of Governor Noel Degamo, posted his own video in his Facebook account and claimed he is more than willing to go home and to explain his side but security threats prevented him from doing so.
He also claimed that during the committee hearing of the ethics committee he wanted to join via zoom but the committee allegedly denied him, saying the committee wanted him to come face to face to answer all allegations and strings of criminal cases filed against him.
Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. denied Teves’ claims the order to put all the blame on him especially on the killing of the Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo came from Malacañang Palace.
The president said the move of the government, particularly the House of Representatives, to pressure him to go home is for his own safety, saying that if he continues to defy the calls, the government will be forced to arrest him by all means.
President Marcos also added the intelligence did not receive any threats on his life. “The government is willing to provide him safety by allowing him to land at an army base. Mayaman naman siya. Meron naman siyang private jet,” the president added.
In a related news, the secretary of Congressman Arnolfo Teves, Jr who was among those recently arrested by the raiding team of the Criminal Investigation Group (CIDG), has filed charges against some CIDG personnel.
Hanna May Oray, the congressman’s secretary, claimed her rights were violated by the CIDG personnel and she filed her complaint at the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).
The secretary was accompanied by her lawyer, Atty Toby Diokno. Oray claimed she was allegedly coerced and intimadated by the CIDG personnel to allegedly pin down Teves on the murder of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo on March 4.
Oray, together with her husband, were arrested by the CIDG during a raid conducted at the congressman’s house.
She told the media during a press conference in Quezon City: “I was told to cooperate with them and testify against Cong.Teves or they will destroy my life by filing multiple charges against me,” Oray claimed.
The secretary claimed a certain CIDG officer has accused her of being a drug addict and that the police found a hand grenade at their house and this could imprison her for many years.
Oray said: “I was even told to sign an affidavit admitting that it was me who paid the money for the gunmen, but I am just a secretary responsible for paying the salaries of the security guards and other household workers.”
