Drug war victims’ kin tell Filipino justice secretary to quit

Drug war victims’ kin tell Filipino justice secretary to quit

Families of drug war victims have called for the Philippines Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to resign after his son was arrested for alleged possession of illegal drugs.

Remulla’s eldest son, Juanito Jose, 38, was arrested last week for illegal possession of almost a kilo of high-grade marijuana (cannabis) worth 1.3 million pesos ($30,000) at his home in Las Pinas City, south of Manila.

Police seized two packets of the illegal drug after Remulla, who was the intended recipient, allegedly received the package in his home.

Families of slain drug suspects killed under the regime of former President Rodrigo Duterte on Oct. 17 urged Remulla to resign saying he had lost the credibility to enforce the law.

“Reason dictates that he has lost any and or all his credibility as chief of the Department of Justice. Having a son allegedly involved in the drug trade, caught in the very act of possessing illegal drugs, is more than enough reason for him to leave his post,” Magdalena Ibay, whose son was killed by a vigilante group, told UCA News.

Another family member who cried out for Remulla’s resignation was the wife of a slain drug pusher in Caloocan City who allegedly fired shots at arresting officers.

“Resign, Secretary Remulla, and do not intervene in the legal process! Before you told us that you had no sympathy for drug addicts, let us see what your sentiment is now. How would you feel if your own son is shot in cold blood?” said Carmen de Dios, whose husband worked as a fish vendor and was killed at the port.

Secretary Remulla said he would not intervene in his son’s case.

“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. I have to abide by the oath of office I took when I assumed this position,” Remulla told reporters on Oct. 17.

The group’s call for the resignation was rejected by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. saying it “has no basis.”

“Secretary Remulla could only be asked to quit his post if he’s not doing his job or if he has misbehaved in that job. Secretary Remulla has not done anything wrong. He made a very proper stance by not intervening in his son’s case,” President Marcos told reporters on Oct. 17.

The drug war victims’ families, however, did not believe that Remulla would not intervene in the case.

“Blood is always thicker than water. A father, in one way or another, would always do something for his son. Even the judge who will hear the case would be mindful because Remulla is the justice secretary. That’s why there is no alternative for him but to resign,” the families told UCA News.

Staunch Duterte critic and human rights priest Father Danny Pilario said justice was “only for the rich” in the Philippines.

“The icon of Lady Justice is in a blindfold because there should be no distinction between the parties concerned. But in the Philippines there is one justice for the rich, another for the poor; one justice for the great, another for the small,” Father Pilario told UCA News.

The clergyman’s comments came as a reaction to reports that Remulla’s son would be indicted only for illegal possession, not for illegal import of illegal drugs.

Police confirmed Remulla would not undergo any drug test.

“His father said that drug users and drug lords are cockroaches. Now, he wished his son ‘redemption.’ On the other hand, the same President upholds the incarceration of Leila de Lima, using trumped-up charges and separation of powers as a lame excuse. Never mind if the main witnesses against her recanted,” Father Pilario added.

Leila de Lima was a former lawmaker and secretary of justice who was jailed during Duterte’s administration on drug charges.