The Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 51 has ordered on Wednesday, June 11, the transfer of Expelled Negros Oriental 3rd District Representative Arnolfo "Arnie" Teves Jr. to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.
However, Teves’ legal counsel, Atty. Ferdinand “Ferdie” Topacio said that the RTC Branch 11 had previously issued a separate ruling, dated May 30, ordering Teves' transfer to Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) custody.
This comes after the court denied the motion filed by Teves’ legal team seeking to keep him under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) at the New Bilibid Prison.
Teves earlier pleaded ‘not guilty’ during his arraignment on June 5 before RTC Branch 12 on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives—one of several serious criminal cases he is currently facing across multiple courts.
The order is the latest development in Teves’ ongoing legal troubles, as he faces multiple charges including 10 counts of murder, 12 counts of frustrated murder, and 4 counts of attempted murder in connection with the March 2023 assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and nine others—a case widely referred to as the “Pamplona massacre.”
The former lawmaker was suspended from Congress in 2023 and tagged as a terrorist by the Anti-Terrorism Council.
Teves was initially held at the NBI facility following his deportation from Timor-Leste on May 29, after was arrested by Timor-Leste authorities on May 27.
