By CESAR JOLITO III

Negros Oriental 3rd District Representative Janice Degamo vowed to press on in the fight for justice following the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 12’s decision granting bail to former Congressman Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves, Jr. in one of his murder cases.

In a 29-page order dated September 10, the court set bail at P120,000 for Teves in connection with the killing of a bodyguard of a mayoral candidate in Negros Oriental’s Basay town in May 2019.

Degamo, widow of slain governor Roel Degamo, emphasized that the ruling applies only to that specific case and does not clear Teves of his other criminal liabilities.

“The fact that bail was granted in one case does not erase or diminish the very serious charges still pending against him,” she said, noting that Teves still faces two other 2019 murder cases, as well as the Pamplona massacre on March 4, 2023, that left her husband and nine others dead.

She also cited the terrorism designation issued by the Anti-Terrorism Council against Teves and his associates for a “documented pattern of killings, harassment and violent acts” in Negros Oriental spanning several years.

“I will never stop fighting to make sure that justice is served no matter how long or difficult the process may be,” Degamo stressed.

“I deeply understand the pain and frustration of the victims’ families, because I am one of them,” she added.

Despite the bail ruling, Teves will remain in detention due to multiple other pending cases.

He returned to the Philippines last May after being deported from Timor-Leste.

Degamo assured her constituents and victims’ families that she would continue to stand with them.

“The eyes of the nation are on Negros Oriental, and together, we will ensure that accountability is achieved and that violence never again becomes the language of politics in our province,” she said./CJ, WDJ