EDITORIAL- Back home at last

And just like that, someone who has long been sought by law enforcement, someone who seemed so elusive and out of reach, is now back in the Philippines.

We are referring to expelled Negros Oriental 3rd District representative Arnolfo Teves Jr., who is being held responsible for the murder of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and nine others who were shot dead by armed men in Pamplona, Negros Oriental, last March 4, 2023

Operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation escorted Teves back to the Philippines after the government in Timor-Leste, where Teves has been hiding and applying for asylum, deported him for not having a visa.

Presented before the media during a press conference yesterday, one cannot help but admire Teves’ gumption after he said he is now ready to face the charges against him and acted like he himself made the decision to go home. He even said he plans to appeal his expulsion from Congress.

Well, he is within his rights to say and do anything he wants.

That aside, perhaps now things can get moving in the Degamo case.

Even after all this time, for many the shock and trauma of the incident has not worn off. Armed people just casually strolled into the compound owned by Degamo before just opening fire and then leaving people dead. It still something for the books as perhaps the most brazen attack carried out against a sitting government official in the Philippines.

We aren’t saying he is guilty of the crime, unlike what some people are already saying. Again, we say his guilt or innocence is up to the court to decide.

Teves’ being under custody now raises hopes that people with power, influence, and connections can be reined in for crimes just like ordinary folks. Now dare we hope that the arrest of people like Gerald Bantag will soon follow?