Suspended Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnie Teves on Friday expressed his wish to virtually attend President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr.'s second State of the Nation Address (SONA) slated on July 24.
Speaking to the reporters after weeks of keeping his silence, Teves also said that he want to fulfill his duty as a Congressman through video teleconferencing.
"Pero they are depriving me of doing my job. Tingin ko, pinipili nila ito para ako ay tanggalin. Baka akala nila, matatanggal nila ako. Sorry, hindi n'yo ako kayang itulak nang ganun-ganun lang," he stressed.
WATCH: Suspended Negros Oriental Rep. Arnie Teves, nais masaksihan ang ikalawang SONA ni Pang. Ferdinand Marcos.
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) July 7, 2023
Hiling din ni Teves, sana ay magawa pa rin daw niya ang kaniyang trabaho sa Kongreso. | via RH 29 @boy_gonzales pic.twitter.com/OEpKUTW5ir
Teves, who is facing murder charges for his alleged involvement in the killing of the former Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo, has been staying abroad since February.
Due to his refusal to heed the call for him to come home, the House of Representatives has suspended him not once but twice.
The Negros lawmaker requested the help of the local press in questioning his suspension order to House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
"Una-una, bakit ang hilig niyo sa akin [House] Speaker? Noong una pa lang, pinipilit niyo ako umuwi. Eh wala naman akong kaso," Teves said.
He rebutted the reasons of the House of Representatives for his suspension.
"I was suspended because of absences daw. Thirteen lang ang absences ko. Nagpaalam pa ako, hindi lang ako pinayagan. 'Yung iba diyan, ang daming absences, hindi lang na-suspend," the embattled Negros lawmaker said.
"Sabi disorderly behavior, nagkalat ba ako sa floor? Nagkalat ba ako sa labas?" he added.
In regards to his alleged link in Degamo slay case, Teves claimed that he and former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Chief Gerald Bantag is being "tormented" by government officials.
Bantag was charged of murder for the brutal killing of radio broadcaster Percival Mabasa or Percy Lapid and alleged middleman Cristito 'Jun' Villamor.
"Sa tingin ko kailangan ng taong bayan itong pangigipit nila sa akin. Hindi lang sa akin, pati na rin kay Gerald Bantag, at sa iba na rin na ginigipit," Teves said.
The Negros lawmaker raised the question, "Why is there a political persecution? Why are we being personally persectued?".
"Para lang ba matabunan ito ng bagay-bagay or/and ma-control lang ba nila ang politika, pati na ang takbo ng budget at control ng pera ng ating bansa?" he added.
