News Roundup 16 October 2022
Oct 16, 2022 • 5 min Read
Remulla son won’t be tested for drugs; ‘not material’ to case | INQUIRER.NET – The son of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla will not be subjected to a drug test, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said on Saturday, even as it maintained that he would be accorded no special treatment. PDEA spokesperson Derrick Carreon said Juanito Jose Diaz Remulla III had refused to undergo drug testing “on the advice of his counsel,” after he was arrested last Tuesday for ordering almost a kilogram of “kush,” or high-grade marijuana, estimated at P1.25 million. A positive drug test would add a criminal charge against him for violation of Section 15 (use of dangerous drugs) of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive and Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. This carries a penalty of six months of drug rehabilitation for first-time offenders. Asked if PDEA would insist that Remulla, 38, undergo the mandatory drug test for arrested drug suspects, Carreon said no, adding that Remulla’s lawyer had “immediately intervened.” “A drug test will likewise not be material to [the other drug charges he is facing],” said the spokesperson. The Las Piñas City prosecutor’s office on Friday indicted Remulla for violation of Section 11 of RA 9165, illegal possession of drugs, and recommended no bail. The prosecutor’s office referred the other complaint against him, violation of Section 4 of RA 9165, or illegal importation of drugs, to its counterpart in Pasay City, which has jurisdiction over that case. Both possession of at least 500 grams of marijuana and importation of illegal drugs carries the highest penalty under the said law — life imprisonment since the death penalty was abolished in 2006. Both offenses are also punishable with a fine ranging from P500,000 to P10 million. Remulla was arrested by operatives of PDEA and the Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group of Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Lawmakers alarmed by PNP’s visits to journalists’ homes | INQUIRER.NET – Lawmakers on Sunday expressed concern over a police order authorizing cops to visit the homes of journalists “for their security,” following the murder of veteran broadcaster Percy Lapid in Las Piñas City. Senator Jinggoy Estrada said that while he understood the sense behind it, he questioned its purpose and tagged its execution as “contemptible” and “the most stupid idea.” “I can see the sense in this move of the PNP [Philippine National Police] but its execution is rather contemptible. It’s the most stupid idea, I must say. Kung gusto nilang alamin kung sino ang mga may pagbabanta sa buhay ng mga journalists, hindi ba dapat na una nila itong inalam sa mga news organization na kinabibilangan ng mga mamamahayag (If they wanted to know who is threatening the lives of journalists, shouldn’t they have first informed the news organizations that the journalists belong to)?” said Estrada in a statement. He also questioned why police officers who visited journalists’ homes were not in uniform, and why there was no coordination with the local officials, as well as with the respective media companies that the journalists were part of. “And the most glaring of all, how could they get hold of very personal and sensitive information such as a home address of a journalist?” asked Estrada. Estrada said that coordinating with media organizations would have made it easier to identify who needs their help, adding that law enforcement “should know how to properly enforce existing laws, not violate them.” “Malinaw na nilabag ng hanay ng PNP ang Data Privacy Act at dapat na managot sila dito (The ranks of the PNP clearly violated the Data Privacy Act and they should be held accountable for it),” he added. Meanwhile, in a separate statement, House Deputy Minority Leader and Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) partylist Rep. France Castro said that even though National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) head Jonnel Estomo had already apologized and ordered a halt on the said order, the Congress should still probe the incident.“We think that this incident has to be investigated by Congress and should not be taken as an isolated incident and be viewed on the wider perspective of media harassment, red tagging, and extra-judicial killings,” she said. “We want to have a copy of the memorandum ordering the visits as well as pose questions on its operationalization as this type of move only caused more anxiety to media practitioners as pointed out by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP),” Castro added. She also compared the order to the incident where teachers were also visited by police only to get profiled and red-tagged.
Army marks 5th year since liberation of Marawi City | PHILSTAR.COM – On the 5th anniversary of Marawi City’s liberation, Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. — commanding general of the Philippine Army — has paid tribute to fallen soldiers as well as to troops who participated in retaking the city from Islamic State-linked extremists. Brawner also emphasized the need to strengthen the military. “Let us be reminded to press on with our focus on military operations, and strengthen our intelligence capabilities, community relations activities, and our civil-military operations in order to contribute towards enduring peace and sustainable progress for our country,” Brawner said. In May 2017, a firefight erupted when Filipino security forces attempted a raid to arrest ISIS-affiliated Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon. Members of the radical Islamist organization Maute were called in for reinforcements, which prompted their five-month siege of the city. The armed confrontation between the government and the IS-backed militants prompted then former President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law in Mindanao. It was said to be the “most significant terrorist event in Southeast Asia since the Bali bombings in 2002.” About 1,000 militants and 160 soldiers were killed, while over 370,000 individuals were left homeless after the siege. “While the government’s rehabilitation efforts are almost completed, the annual commemoration of our victory will continue, and will always remind us that we need to move forward while learning from our experiences,” Brawner said.
