The House of Representatives has received the letter submitted by Pamplona, Negros Occidental Mayor Janice Degamo which seeks to expel Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo ‘Arnie’ Teves.
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco confirmed this in an interview with the media on Thursday.
He said the letter dated March 22 has been endorsed to the legal department to study the concern.
“Matindi ‘yung request niya, expulsion. Eh ‘yung expulsion naman, may proseso din ‘yan for any House member. May procedure din iyan. Again, ire-refer din namin iyan eventually sa Committee on Ethics kasi related ‘yan doon sa kaso ni Congressman Arnie Teves,” Velasco added.
Janice, the widow of late former Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo, told the media that she asked the House to expel Teves due to alleged illegal gambling.
“May finile ako for his expulsion. I was told is-schedule pa iyon, ipapatawag din kami sa Congress. Sa tingin ko, nararapat lang talaga ‘yung mga tao na ‘yung pinaggagawa, may mga gambling. Nasa saligang batas ‘yan, hindi pwede iyan. Even [Aty. Ferdinand] Topacio, admitted that na ‘yung pangkabuhayan niya (Teves) na STL (small town lottery), dapat talaga walang ganyan sa gobyerno,” she said.
The request comes after the lower chamber slapped the Congressman with a 60-day preventive suspension based on the finding and recommendation of the House Committee of Ethics and Privileges.
The Committee’s recommendation stemmed from Teves' prolonged absence from his duty despite the nonvalidity of his travel clearance.
Teves, who is currently abroad, is being tagged as the alleged mastermind in the death of former governor Roel Degamo.
