Rep. Arnolfo Teves of Negros Oriental’s 3rd district was denied permission to attend President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA) earlier this month by House Secretary General Reginald Velasco.
On July 10, Velasco was asked if they would agree to his request to be let watch the SONA remotely.
Teves’ status as a legislator is still suspended, Velasco retorted.
“As you know he has been suspended for another 60 days, and that will expire on July 30th. So wala pa siyang entitlement as a regular member (He has no entitlement as a regular member),” said the House official.
“So unfortunately, we won’t be able to send him any invitation because he is still suspended,” he said of Teves, who has been out of the country since Feb. 28.
The Visayas solon, who has been tagged as the mastermind of the broad-daylight assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo last March 4, has refused to heed calls to come back to the Philippines.
However, it hasn’t stopped him from attempting to participate remotely in House events, such as the SONA on July 24 at the House of Representatives.
Even taking part virtually in the yearly event is forbidden, according to Velasco.
“Kasi pag suspended ka you have no access to the plenary as well as Committee hearings. Yun. Yun yung House rules natin so we’d have to live with that (If you are suspended, you have no access to the plenary as well as Committee hearings. That’s it. Those are our House rules so we’d have to live with that),” he explained.
