EDITORIAL — Next, speedy justice

After a year of being on the run, Arnolfo Teves Jr. is finally being brought back to the country to face multiple indictments for serious offenses. Teves was arrested Thursday in East Timor’s capital Dili by local police. He had been hiding in plain sight in Timor-Leste, occasionally posting videos taunting Philippine authorities who wanted him for multiple murder cases.

Now that Philippine courts will get jurisdiction over him, authorities must ensure an airtight case against him and speedy justice for his alleged victims. Teves has maintained his innocence, and all witnesses against him have retracted their statements. His general counsel has warned that the Department of Justice is in for a “rude awakening.”

Teves was in the United States on medical leave from the House of Representatives when gunmen barged into an aid distribution activity at the Pamplona home of Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo and his wife, Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo on March 4 last year. Video showed gunfire so intense that the smoke obscured the scene. Degamo and nine others died in the so-called Pamplona massacre that from the start was believed ordered by his political rival, Teves.

After ignoring orders from the House to return to the country, Teves was suspended from Congress. Later, in a rare move, the House expelled him as representative of Negros Oriental’s third district. As criminal cases were filed against him, Teves left the United States and eventually settled in Timor-Leste, which, unlike the US, has no extradition treaty with the Philippines.

An ad hoc extradition arrangement, however, can still be forged for his return to the Philippines, or he can be deported. The Philippines also sought help from the Interpol, which issued a Red Notice for Teves, allowing his provisional detention by authorities in another country prior to his turnover to a state with a warrant for his arrest.

Philippine authorities have canceled Teves’ passport and frozen his assets. Despite the retractions of the witnesses, who are accused of direct participation in Degamo’s assassination, prosecutors have expressed confidence that they still have a strong case against Teves not only for the Pamplona massacre but also for several earlier murders in Negros Oriental. Teves is expected to put up a spirited defense to avoid possible life in prison for mass murder. This high-profile case has drawn international attention and will illustrate the quality of Philippine justice.