Rep. Teves, 12 others tagged as ‘terrorist’ over Degamo slay, assets frozen

MANILA — The Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) has designated suspended Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. as a terrorist for allegedly masterminding the March 4 massacre of Gov. Roel Degamo together with nine others while meeting inside the family compound in Pamplona town where his wife is mayor.

In a decision made available to the media, the council also named the suspended Teves, who was in the United States during the time of the killing and later fled to Timor Leste which he applied for citizenship, as the leader of the “Teves Terrorist Group.”

The lawmakers’ younger brother and former governor Pryde Henry Teves, his alleged bagman Marvin Miranda, and 10 others were also tagged as terrorists, local media like ABS-CBN reported.

The ATC also tagged those involved in the so-called terrorist group Teves’ former bodyguard Nigel Electona, Tomasino Aledro, Rogelio Antipolo, Hannah Mae Oray, Rommel Pattaguan, Winrich Isturis, John Louie Gonyon, Dahniel Lora, Eulogio Gonyon Jr., and Jomarie Catubay.

Subsequently, AMLC started freezing the assets of embattled Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. and 12 other personalities after the government designated them as terrorists.

Based on Resolution No. TF-69 dated July 31, but was only forwarded to the media Wednesday, the AMLC directed all concerned government agencies to prohibit the designated individuals from accessing their properties or financial assets “without delay.”

The assets covered by the order include the following:

– property or funds owned or controlled by the designated individual, and should not be limited to those that are directly related to or can be linked to a terrorist act, plot, or threat

– property or funds wholly or jointly owned or controlled by the identified personality

– property or funds generated from assets owned or controlled—directly or indirectly—by the person

– assets of persons and entities acting on behalf or at the direction of the subject of designation

In its resolution dated July 26, the ATC said Rep. Teves was the alleged leader and mastermind of the group, while his brother and Electona “provided material support.”

“Investigation also reveals that Hannah Mae Sumero Oray handles the operational funds for the killings while Marvin H. Miranda acts as organizer and recruiter of personnel for specific terrorist attacks,” the ATC said.

The designation ended a months-long process for the ATC to brand Teves as an alleged terrorist, a plan first announced by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla in April.

“In this case, the activities that led to the killing on March 4, all are covered under the anti-terror law: the recruitment, the financing, the purchase of firearms, the distribution of firearms,” Remulla said.

e also remains suspended due to his continued absence from his duties at the House of Representatives.

The Degamo camp had expressed support for the move to tag Teves as a terrorist, with lawyer Levito Baligod saying they had “concrete evidence” linking the embattled lawmaker to terror groups in Mindanao.

“We have concrete evidence to prove that he is… in a tactical alliance with the communist terrorist group and the local terrorist groups in Mindanao,” he said.

A day before Teves’ “terrorist” tag was officially announced, his alleged gunman Alex Mayagma was killed in a police operation inside his rooster farm in Barangay Malabugas, Bayawan City on Monday.