Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said he has withdrawn his approval to allow Rep. Arnie Teves appear virtually before a Senate committee hearing today on the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo.
Dela Rosa, quoted by GMA News, added that the Senate Public Order and Dangerous Drugs Committee, which he chairs, would instead decide on Teves’ possible virtual testimony after senators and Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo, widow of the slain governor, expressed their dismay over such an appearance.
“I first need to gather the views of my colleagues, then we will come up with a collective decision as a committee,” dela Rosa further said.
Teves’ lawyer Ferdinand Topacio called the withdrawal unfair, as a committee hearing held without his client’s testimony would be one-sided.
“This is a hearing in aid of legislation, so both sides must be heard.
Otherwise, it’s not going to be a hearing anymore,” Topacio said.
Teves earlier said that he was unable to return to the country due to serious threats against his life.
The Senate meanwhile will present relatives of victims and witnesses to killings in Negros Oriental, including the widow of Degamo in Monday’s hearing.
It has yet to be decided whether Teves, the alleged mastermind in the assassination of Degamo and eight others on March 4, will be accommodated via videoconference after Pamplona town Mayor Janice Degamo, the governor’s wife, requested the Senate not to.
Teves has yet to return to the country despite the expiry of his personal travel authority on March 9.
He is suspended for 60 days until May 22, with House Speaker Martin Romualdez acting as caretaker of his district.
In a radio interview on Sunday, committee chair dela Rosa said he is expecting “explosive” revelations from about 30 resource persons.
Mayor Degamo, who flew out of Dumaguete City on Saturday afternoon with about 40 others, asked the Senate not to allow Teves’ remote testimony.
“Allowing some participants to attend through Zoom/teleconferencing undermines the value and importance of our presence in the hearing, and it is unfair to those who will be attending personally,” Mayor Degamo said in her letter.
Mayor Degamo said some in her entourage will also attend the preliminary investigation of the Department of Justice.
