RETIRED Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban.
RETIRED Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban burst the bubble of Justice Secretary Boying Remulla regarding his plan to have Negros Oriental Rep. Arnie Teves’ passport cancelled to force him to return to the Philippines.
He said this is likely to be unconstitutional and could lead to more problems.
“[T]he right to travel is guaranteed by the Constitution. And by law, a passport may be canceled only when the holder: (a) is a fugitive, (b) is convicted of a crime, (c) acquired the passport fraudulently, or (d) requests for its cancellation due to its loss or tampering,” the abogado explained in his Inquirer column.
“At this point, none of these four causes exists,” he pointed out.
Teves is reportedly in Timor-Leste as he refuses to fly home and face the charges over the killing of his politiko rival, Governor Roel Degamo and eight others, in March 2023.
Teves sought political asylum in Timor-Leste but had been denied.
