The Department of Justice clarified that the Manila court’s acquittal of former Negros Oriental 3rd District Representative Arnie Teves in a 2019 murder case has no bearing on the ongoing trial over the killing of late Governor Roel Degamo.
At a news forum in Quezon City, Justice Spokesperson Polo Martinez stressed, “‘Yung kasi regarding si Degamo is separate from this case so it does not in any way affect the Degamo case ‘yung acquittal kahapon.”
The Manila Regional Trial Court-Branch 15 issued a 35-page ruling on January 5, 2026, acquitting Teves, Richard Cuadra, and Rolando Pinili after granting their demurrers to evidence, citing the prosecution’s failure to establish a prima facie case. The charges stemmed from the killing of three individuals in Dumaguete City in 2019.
Despite the acquittal, Teves remains detained at the National Bureau of Investigation facility in New Bilibid Prison, Muntinlupa, as he faces multiple other cases.
These include murder, attempted murder, and frustrated murder linked to Degamo’s assassination in March 2023, as well as charges for illegal possession of firearms and explosives, and terrorist financing.
Negros Oriental Representative Janice Degamo, widow of the slain governor, vowed that the pursuit of justice for her husband will continue regardless of the Manila court’s ruling.