JUSTICE WATCH | One Case Ends. The Other Stands.

In criminal law, outcomes don’t travel in packs.
Each case walks on its own record.

The Department of Justice clarified that the acquittal of former lawmaker Arnie Teves in a Dumaguete City slay will have no effect on the separate and high-profile case involving the killing of Roel Degamo.

According to the DOJ, the two proceedings involve different facts, evidence, and legal questions. An acquittal in one does not negate—nor weaken—the prosecution of another. In short: conclusions don’t migrate; proof must be presented anew.

The clarification comes amid public confusion over whether recent court outcomes could ripple into other cases. Prosecutors emphasized that each trial is insulated by its own evidentiary wall—designed to prevent precisely that kind of spillover.

Quietly, the DOJ’s statement also underscores a principle often lost in headlines: finality applies to a case, not to a narrative. Justice systems are built to separate stories—even when names repeat.

For now, the signal is firm:
one ruling closes one file. The other remains open.