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January 17, 2026 | 2:59pm
Composite photo shows Rep. Janice Degamo (Negros Oriental, 3rd District) and expelled lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr.
Congresswoman Janice Vallega Degamo via Facebook; Congressman Arnie A. Teves via Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Although expelled lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr. was acquitted in the 2019 murder case of a Negros Oriental provincial board member, he still faces several other cases, including the killing of former governor Roel Degamo in 2023.
Rep. Janice Degamo (Negros Oriental, 3rd District), the late governor's widow, sought to clarify that Teves' acquittal did not pertain to the so-called "Pamplona massacre" involving her husband and nine others killed.
"We clarify that the recent news about the acquittal of former Representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. refers to a separate 2019 murder case in Dumaguete City and has no connection whatsoever to the multiple murder cases arising from the Pamplona, Negros Oriental massacre on March 4, 2023, where Governor Roel Degamo and several others were killed," she said in a Facebook post on Saturday, January 17.
Teves' counsel Ferdinand Topacio announced on Friday, January 16, that the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 15 approved their motion for demurrer on January 5 for Teves and two co-accused over the 2019 killing of Miguel Lopez Dungog. Granting the motion meant the court saw insufficient evidence to proceed with a criminal conviction.
The expelled lawmaker, however, still faces numerous charges linked to several killings in Negros Oriental. This included 10 counts of murder, 13 counts of frustrated murder, four counts of attempted murder, three other murder cases, one count of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, and a charge of terrorist financing.
One of these cases is the Pamplona massacre, in which armed men opened fire on former governor Roel during the distribution of aid to local beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in 2023. In this case, Teves was accused of being one of the masterminds of Degamo's killing.
"The multiple murder cases arising from the Pamplona massacre remain pending and actively prosecuted in another court in Manila. The decision of acquittal issued by the Regional Trial Court of Manila, Branch 15, does not absolve Mr. Teves of responsibility for those crimes," Janice said.
The Anti-Terrorism Council also designated Teves as a terrorist by July 2023, becoming the first elected official to be named such. He managed to flee under the pretense of attending a medical checkup but never returned. It eventually led to his expulsion from Congress in August 2023.
After two years on the run, Teves was only repatriated from Timor-Leste to the Philippines in May 2025.
Janice urged the public to stay vigilant and not be misled into thinking that Teves' acquittal in one murder case applies to the Pamplona massacre. "Our family remains committed to pursuing justice for Governor Degamo and all the other victims," she added.
