Timor-Leste ASEAN bid at risk — DoJ

TIMOR-LESTE’S denial of the Philippines’ extradition request of a former lawmaker accused of murder may not bode well for its bid to be a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Department of Justice (DoJ) said on Tuesday.

“It’s not going to be pleasant for Timor-Leste because they’re applying to be in the ASEAN, and we are one of the founding fathers of the ASEAN,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla told reporters in an ambush interview in Manila.

He was referring to former Negros Oriental’s 3rd District Representative Arnolfo A. Teves, Jr., accused of killing Negros Oriental Governor Roel R. Degamo in 2023 and others.

Mr. Teves, whose Philippine passport was canceled by the Department of Foreign Affairs last year, is currently in Timor-Leste.

The Justice chief said all Timor-Leste has to do is deport him because Mr. Teves is an undocumented Filipino.

“This matter is just a very simple matter of an undocumented Filipino who’s accused of a crime to be returned to the country. For them to complicate it is a big stretch,” he added. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana