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(UPDATE) SUSPENDED Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. is seeking asylum in Timor
Leste, according to the Department of Justice (DoJ).

Teves' presence in Timor Leste or East Timor was relayed by Foreign Affairs Secretary
Enrique Manalo in a letter, dated April 29, 2023, to Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla.

In the letter, Manalo said based on confidential information he received from the
Philippine ambassador to Timor Leste, "Congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr. is in the capital
city of Dili where he applied for a protection visa with the intent of asylum."

Remulla, in his response letter dated May 8, 2023, informed the DFA secretary that the
Justice department has already taken concrete steps to designate Teves as a "terrorist"
under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.
"Verily, the undersigned has requested the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) to create a
Technical Worker Group for this purpose," Remulla said, adding that the TWG convened
on May 4, 2023 for its first meeting.

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"It is respectfully requested that these latest updates be relayed to our good ambassador
in Timor Leste," he added.

Remulla earlier said criminal complaints would soon be filed by the National Bureau of
Investigation against Teves, the alleged mastermind in the killing of Negros Oriental Gov.
Roel Degamo and 10 other individuals,

Once Teves is categorized as a terrorist by the Anti-Terrorism Council, his assets will be
frozen by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

Justice Assistant Secretary and spokesman Mico Clavano will initiate moves before the
Court of Appeals for the proscription of the suspended Teves as a "terrorist" pursuant to
the Anti-Terror Law or Section 4 of Republic Act 1749.

Clavano said Teves' alleged involvement in multiple murders, as well as his recruitment
of gunmen and use of high-powered firearms, falls under the Anti-Terror Law's scope.

Ferdinand Topacio, counsel for Teves, has said the Anti-Terrorism Act should not be
utilized as a tool to force his client to come out in the open.
Topacio pointed out that using the ATC against a non-terrorist individual and for a
purpose other than its intended use, would warp the law and compromise justice.