The son of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla was arrested by members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Thursday for claiming a parcel that allegedly contained kush or high-grade marijuana worth P1.3 million.
Juanito Jose Remulla III, the Justice chief’s eldest son, was nabbed after getting the parcel from San Diego, California.
The Justice Secretary, in a handwritten statement, said he would “not intervene in his son’s predicament.”
“I am both a father and the secretary of Justice, roles that I take very seriously. We all know about unconditional love, but at 38 years old, he will have to face his predicament as a fully emancipated child,” Remulla said.
“I will not intervene in nor influence my son’s predicament, and I have not done so in any way… A person should always face the consequence of their actions and I will let justice take its own course,” he added.
This developed as PDEA spokesman Derrick Carreon said the Philippines is in a “good situation” in terms of fighting the illegal drug menace.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel, Carreon said more areas in the country are now drug-cleared as the government implements a holistic approach to curb illegal drugs.
“We hold to our belief that our (illegal drug) situation is still good and that right now if you will allow us to explain that, out of the 42,046 barangays in the Philippines, drug-cleared barangays now number about 26,093 with drug-affected barangays only at 9,414,” he said.
“But again, as explained by (PDEA) Director General Wilkins Villanueva, rest assured that we are in a good situation where the government is on top of the situation,’’ Carreon added.
The Justice Secretary is in Geneva, where he spoke before the United Nations Human Rights Committee.
He admitted this was a “very difficult time” for him and his family and that he would “let justice take its course.”
Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla also said he will not support his nephew, adding that any family member who will influence the matter will be exposed immediately,
“I personally feel that while he deserves all my empathy, there will be no support extended in terms of using my position in government.While he is family, my oath as Cavite Governor and as a Public Servant is paramount above any of his alleged transgressions,” he said in a statement.
Both the governor and Justice secretary expressed their gratitude to the PDEA.
“I thank the PDEA for doing their job without fear or favor. I have no conflict with them. This is a very difficult time for me and my family. But this is nothing compared to what so many Filipinos are going through,” Boying Remulla said.
“We would like to thank the PDEA for doing their job. We were never informed of their operation, and they were correct in doing so. There should be no fear nor favor in the conduct of their duties,” Jonvic added.
Carreon said PDEA’s approach includes key strategies such as demand reduction, rehabilitation, and reintegration.
He said PDEA also continues to go after big-time targets and syndicates in compliance with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Citing its latest operations, Carreon said PDEA had two successful operations on July 3 — one in Banawe St., Quezon City, which yielded 40 kilos of shabu with an estimated street value of P272 million.
Another operation in Cavite province resulted in the confiscation of 220 kilos of shabu worth P1.496 billion.
On Aug. 12, PDEA together with other law enforcement agencies seized 40 kilos of shabu worth P272 million. This was followed by the seizure of 360 kilos of shabu in another buy-bust operation in Sunshine Village in Pozzorubio, Pangasinan.
Carreon said these operations disprove allegations of a resurgence in the proliferation of illegal drugs.
“We are thankful that again, we were able to intercept these huge volumes of dangerous drugs but then if we look at the daily reports that are coming in or being turned in by our operating units, it’s not just us but even the PNP (Philippine National Police) because we also monitor their operations,” he said.
“If you would peruse from the ground during the implementation of daily operations, there are no volumes amounting to no more than 200 grams arising from daily operations of our units as well as that of the PNP,’’ Carreon pointed out.