Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez talks to the press during a news forum in Quezon City on Saturday (May 31, 2025). He said former Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnulfo Teves Jr. would not receive any special treatment while undergoing trial for multiple criminal charges, including the assassination of former Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo in 2023 and other murder cases in 2019. (PNA photo by Joan Bondoc)
Former Negros Oriental 3rd District Representative Arnulfo Teves Jr., recently deported from Timor-Leste, is not receiving—and will not receive—any special treatment, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Teves is currently being held at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) detention facility located within the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) compound in Muntinlupa, while authorities await a court decision on his permanent place of detention.
“He is now detained at an NBI facility, which happens to be inside the BuCor compound because the NBI building on Taft Avenue is still under construction,” explained Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez during a news forum in Quezon City on Saturday.
Teves faces several serious criminal charges, including his alleged involvement in the 2023 assassination of former Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo, as well as multiple murder cases dating back to 2019.
Vasquez commended the cooperation between Timor-Leste and the Philippines, which led to Teves’ eventual deportation.
On May 28, the Timor-Leste government announced it had deported and banned Teves for 10 years, citing him as a “threat to national security and interests” and a potential “disruptive factor” in its bilateral relations with the Philippines.
This decision came over two months after the Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, expressed disappointment over Timor-Leste’s initial refusal to extradite the former lawmaker.
