The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has assured that former Negros Oriental congressman Arnolfo A. Teves Jr., who was deported from Timor-Leste, will not receive special treatment while in detention at its designate facility within the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.
NBI Director Jaime B. Santiago, who was part of the team that picked up Teves in Timor-Leste, made the assurance as the expelled legislator was placed under the bureau’s custody on Friday, May 30.
“Walang hocus pocus doon. Parehas ang treatment. Walang torture, walang ano pa man,” said Santiago during a press conference.
He also assured that Teves’ rights will be fully upheld. “Proteksyunan namin na hindi s’ya masaktan sa aming pangangalaga.”
Teves, previously declared a terrorist by the Anti-Terrorism Council, has an outstanding arrest warrant for multiple murder, multiple attempted murder, and other criminal offenses.
He left the Philippines before the killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo on March 4, 2023, and had remained abroad since then. His unofficial leave of absences led to his expulsion from the House of Representatives.
Seeking political asylum, Teves then fled to Timor-Leste where he was arrested by local authorities on May 27 and subsequently handed over to Philippine officials. He arrived in Manila on Thursday night, May 29.
Santiago said the turnover of Teves to the NBP was reached with the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), designated Building 14 of the NBP as the NBI’s exclusive detention facility.
“Detention facility po ‘yun ng NBI under our control. Tao po namin ang nakabantay doon,” said Santiago, clarifying that detainees there are separate from Bilibid’s regular inmates.
Teves will be initially be housed in a separate room to allow him to acclimatize himself.
He also said that the NBI will “immediately return the warrant to the courts accompanied by our certificate of detention.”
“Now the courts will then set the arraignment kasi ‘pag arraignment doon na nakaka-acquire ng jurisdiction ang court,” he explained.
Aside from the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC), criminal charges had also been filed against Teves in Bayawan City RTC, which had also issued an arrest order.
For his part, Teves expressed dismay that he will be detained while the charges against him remain pending.
