“As stewards of the public trust, the members of the House of Representatives

are imbued with a sacred responsibility to embody the highest standards of

ethical conduct,” he added.
Espares said the committee members had voted unanimously in favor of the
recommendation.
Copies of the committee report showed the panel considered three issues in
determining whether or not Teves should be expelled.

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First, his continued pursuit of a political asylum was deemed by lawmakers as

tantamount to abandoning his public office.
Second, his long absence is not allowed as he was authorized to go on a
medical trip only from February 28 to March 9, 2023.
Third, he had committed indecent behavior when he uploaded on social media
a video of him dancing while wearing only his undergarments.
“After a thorough deliberation and following numerous meetings, while
observing fairness and due process, the Committee on Ethics and Privileges
unanimously recommends that the penalty of expulsion from the House of
Representatives be imposed on Representative Arnolfo ‘Arnie’ A. Teves Jr. for
disorderly behavior and for violation of the Code of Conduct of the House of
Representatives,” Espares reported to his fellow lawmakers during the
plenary.
None of the lawmakers present voted in the negative.
Three lawmakers abstained.
They are all members of the Makabayan bloc, namely Gabriela Party-list
Representative Arlene Brosas, ACT Teachers Party-list Representative
France Castro, and Kabataan Party-list Representative Raoul Manuel.
The committee’s report was made known after its members held a closed-
door hearing last Monday on the continued absence of Teves.
Previously, the panel already handed down two 60-day suspensions against
the lawmaker.
The penalties were imposed after he failed to report to the chamber, despite
Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez’s direct order.
Teves had flown to the United States for a medical procedure by the power of
the travel authority issued by the House.
However, the lawmaker refrained from returning to the Philippines after
authorities implicated him in the assassination of Negros Oriental Governor
Roel Degamo on March 4, 2023.
Teves said he and his brother, former governor Pryde Henry Teves, do not
stand to gain anything from the execution of the crime.
The lawmaker cited concerns about his safety and family as reasons for
staying abroad.
Last August 1, the Teves siblings and 11 others were tagged as terrorists by
the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC).

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disorderly-manner-continuous-absence#ixzz8AYoJfqw0
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