MANILA — Former lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr. has been acquitted of the murder of Miguel Lopez Dungog, a former Negros Oriental provincial board member, after the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 15 granted a motion for demurrer to evidence on January 5.

A demurrer is a motion claiming that the evidence presented by the prosecution is insufficient to support a criminal conviction. When granted, it effectively dismisses the charges, amounting to an acquittal.

In a report, it said that the court ordered the immediate release of Teves from his Taguig cell, as well as Richard Cuadra and Rolando Pinili from the Manila City Jail, provided they are not being held for other legal reasons.

In a statement, Teves’ lawyer Ferdinand Topacio described the acquittal as a victory against “political persecution.”

“The acquittal of former Congressman Arnolfo Teves of the crime of murder by the Regional Trial Court, Branch 15 of Manila is a vivid demonstration that the cases filed against Mr. Teves are nothing but harassment suits meant to persecute a political opponent,” Topacio said.

The case arose from the March 25, 2019 assassination of Dungog outside a Dumaguete City hospital. Charges were filed after self-confessed gunman Gemuel Hobro told authorities that Teves masterminded the killing and provided ₱50,000 for the group’s expenses.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said it has yet to receive the court order confirming the acquittal. DOJ Spokesperson Polo Martinez noted, however, that Teves will remain in detention due to other pending cases.

“However, even assuming that Teves was acquitted in the Dungog case, he will not be released because he remains lawfully detained by virtue of his other pending criminal cases,” Martinez said.

Teves faces multiple criminal cases, including allegations related to the assassination of the late Governor Roel Degamo in Negros Oriental. These include:

• 10 counts of murder before Manila RTC Branch 51
• 13 counts of frustrated murder before Manila RTC Branch 51
• 4 counts of attempted murder before Manila RTC Branch 51
• 1 count of murder before Manila RTC Branch 12
• 1 count of murder before Bayawan RTC Branch 63
• Illegal possession of firearms and explosives before Manila RTC Branch 12
• Violation of the Terrorist Financing Prevention and Suppression Act before Quezon City RTC Branch 77

The Anti-Terrorism Council has also designated Teves as a terrorist, resulting in the freezing of his assets.