News Roundup 14 October 2022
Oct 14, 2022 • 5 min Read
Complaints filed vs Remulla’s son over P1-million kush import | INQUIRER.NET – Complaints have been lodged against the eldest son of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla in connection with importing more than P1 million worth of kush or high-grade marijuana. Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) spokesperson Derrick Carreon confirmed to INQUIRER.net during a phone interview Friday that complaints have been filed against Juanito Jose Diaz Remulla III before the Office of the City Prosecutor-Las Piñas City on Thursday, October 13. Specifically, Carreon said, the 38-year-old son of Remulla will be facing charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. “I do not know of the penalty with regards to the Modernization and Tariff Act because that’s with the Bureau of Customs. On our part, based on the provisions of RA 1965 for violation of Section 4 which is [the] importation of dangerous drugs, the penalty is life imprisonment,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino. Carreon later added: “That is, assuming he will be convicted. It will still go through the legal process.” Juanito Jose was arrested by authorities in Las Piñas City last Tuesday, October 11, in a controlled delivery operation that yielded around 900 grams of kush to the tune of P1.25 million. A controlled delivery means anti-narcotics operatives allow the entry of an illegal package to serve as the basis for the arrest of the recipient. In a handwritten statement Thursday, Justice Secretary Remulla said he “will not intervene in nor influence” the case against his son.
De Lima back at PNP Custodial Center after hostage-taking | INQUIRER.NET – Former senator Leila De Lima is now back inside the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center inside Camp Crame in Quezon City after she was taken hostage last Sunday. De Lima, in a statement on Friday, said she has returned to her original detention cell “after spending five days of confinement for monitoring and medical tests” at the PNP General Hospital. “While I’m still experiencing chest pains (on a lesser scale compared to the first four days), I’m fine medically, psychologically, and emotionally,” she said. De Lima recalled undergoing various tests, which she said, “yielded normal resorts i.e. no signs of heart attack or distress.” “God is so good! Muli, taos pusong pasasalamat sa pag-aalala at malasakit sa akin at mga panalangin (Again, I want to express my wholehearted gratitude to those who showed concern, remembered me, and prayed for me),” she added. Last Sunday, October 9, De Lima was taken hostage at knifepoint by detainee Feliciano Sulayao Jr., who was later shot dead. Sulayao, together with fellow detainees Arnel Cabintoy and Idang Susukan, earlier ganged up and stabbed a police officer, as they attempted to escape the facility. Cabintoy and Susukan were killed by another police officer who had witnessed the stabbing incident.
Remulla son is lone suspect in drug bust, says PDEA | PHILSTAR.COM – Juanito Jose Diaz Remulla III, arrested as the lone suspect in a drug bust earlier and now detained in a Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency facility, is facing life imprisonment, the penalty for the importation of illegal drugs, the PDEA said Friday. Remulla, the son of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, was arrested Tuesday night by counternarcotics agents and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group in Las Piñas City for drug possession. Speaking in an interview aired over CNN Philippines’ The Source, PDEA Director Derrick Carreon said a package from California containing 893.9 grams of high-grade marijuana with an estimated street value of P1.25 million was addressed to the younger Remulla. “Based on the report, he was the lone suspect during that particular operation,” Carreon said of Remulla. “We stand by the regularity of the operation… since it was an interagency operation, all procedures and protocols were followed.” Carreon also said the PDEA had not seen any moves or overtures by Justice Secretary Remulla, who has administrative supervision over the National Prosecution Service, to influence the outcome of the arrest. The justice chief has vowed not to interfere in the case, saying his 38-year-old son “will have to face his predicament as a fully emancipated child.” “A person should always face the consequences of their actions and I will let justice take its own course,” he also said in a handwritten letter released to media, stressing he takes his roles as father and as justice secretary seriously. Carreon has yet to hear from arresting officers about how the suspect reacted during the operation. A control delivery operation involves the identification of suspected contraband sent through a parcel service. Authorities then allow the deal to proceed as planned to serve as basis for the eventual arrest. “Bail may or may not be granted, we have to wait for the recommendation of the prosecutor once we file a case in court… We have faith in the justice system that it will work based on the rule of law,” Carreon also said. Carreon said the Marcos administration’s take on the war on drugs continues, with 26,000 of 46,000 barangays in the country now being declared “drug-cleared.” “There is no more competition, only collaboration among all participating agencies…we have a 60 to 70 percent conviction rate of drug cases,” he said. Following the arrest, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. stood by his appointee, dismissing calls for Justice Secretary Remulla to resign as having “no basis.”
