By Benjamin Pulta
MANILA – A Manila court has granted bail to former Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. and his co-accused Richard Cuadra and Rolando Pinili in a case arising from the killing of alleged hitman Pacito Libron in 2019.
Teves, however, will remain behind bars as he also faces separate non-bailable charges for multiple murder for the killing of Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo and nine others in 2023.
In a resolution dated April 15, Manila Regional Trial Court Judge Ryan Philipp Bartolome set the bail for Teves at PHP500,000 and PHP250,000 each for Cuadra and Pinili.
The court noted that the testimony of state witness Gemuel Hobro was riddled with inconsistencies as he kept on changing his answers on multiple occasions.
“Since the prosecution failed to establish conspiracy with positive and conclusive evidence, necessarily, the act of accused Richard Cuadra in allegedly shooting and killing Pacito Libron cannot be attributed to co-accused Rolando Pinili and Arnolfo Teves, Jr. That being said, all the accused should be held accountable separately for their own individual actions based on what can be proved during trial on the merits,” the court said.
Earlier this week the Court of Appeals 3rd Division denied the petition for certiorari filed by Teves accusing Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 12 Judge Renato Enciso of grave abuse of discretion in his indictment in relation to a charge a of possession of ammunition and explosives in 2023. (PNA)
