The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has declared all assets of suspended Negros Oriental Third District representative Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. and 12 others, including his brother, former Governor Pryde Henry Teves, frozen after the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) designated them as terrorists for deadly gun violence in the province last 2019 and this year.

“This type of process is meant to be quick; it’s meant to be fast precisely because we want to prevent the dissipation of assets,” Department of Justice spokesman Mico Clavano said yesterday.

Even if Teves has been branded a terrorist by the government, only his assets can be frozen because no arrest warrants can be issued without a terrorist proscription from the Court of Appeals (CA), according to the Justice Department.

While he did not divulge the Anti-Terrorism Council’s next moves, Clavano, also serves as the council’s spokesman, stated that the ATC may submit a proscription case before the CA against the classified terrorist organisations.

Under its Resolution No. 43 dated July 26 but made public on Tuesday, the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) declared the two brothers and 11 other people members of the so-called Teves Terrorist Group, most of whom had been implicated in the brazen attack that killed the governor and nine others in the latter’s residential compound in Pamplona town on March 4.

Other than the Teves brothers, the 10 ex-soldiers accused of carrying out the deadly March 4 attack on then-Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo and nine others are alleged bagman Marvin Miranda, ex-soldiers Rogelio Antipolo, Rommel Pattaguan, Winrich Isturis, John Louie Gonyon, Dahniel Lora, and Eulogio Gonyon Jr.

Tomasino Aledro, Nigel Electona, Jomarie Catubay, and Hannah Mae Sumero Oray were also named as co-accused in Teves’ various murder cases throughout the province in 2019.

The terrorist tag will allow the AMLC to automatically freeze their assets based on Section 25 of Republic Act (RA) 11479 or the “Anti-Terror Act.”

Photo: Congressman Arnie A. Teves FB