'No basis': Marcos rejects resignation calls for Remulla
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. rejected Friday calls for Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to resign from his position following the arrest of his son in a drug operation earlier this week, saying the demands have “no basis.”
“I think the calls for him to resign has no basis. You call for somebody to resign if he’s not doing his job or that they have misbehaved in that job,” Marcos told reporters at the sidelines of an event with the Department of Science and Technology in Pasay City.
He said Remulla has "done quite the contrary" as he vowed to recuse himself from the case involving his son, who was arrested in a drug operation.
Remulla said in a hand-written note shared with media that he will not interfere with the case of his son, Juanito Jose Remulla III, who was arrested Tuesday with close to a kilogram of what anti-drug operatives said was high-grade marijuana.
"We all know about unconditional love but at 38 years old, he will have to face his predicament as a fully emancipated child," the justice secretary said.
As justice secretary, Remulla has administrative authority over the National Prosecution Service, prosecutors from which would have to determine probable cause on whether his son should be indicted and charged in court.
Under Department Circular No. 27 issued by Remulla on July 13, the Office of the Secretary of Justice “shall review appeals from resolutions of the Prosecutor General in cases subject to its preliminary investigation as referred to it by various government agencies, and from resolutions of the Provincial/City Prosecutors in cases cognizable by the Regional Trial Court.”
The same circular holds that the Secretary of Justice reserves the right to evaluate, “in the interest of justice, to afford fair play and prevent the miscarriage of justice, motu proprio or upon written and signed complaint, any resolution of the Prosecutor General, Regional State Prosecutors and Provincial/City Prosecutors.”
NUP throws support behind Remulla
The National Unity Party, where Remulla sits as its vice chairperson, expressed support for him in a statement, calling the justice secretary a “principled man” who “will let justice take its course.”
The National Unity Party, where Justice Sec. Jesus Crispin Remulla sits as vice chairperson, expresses support for him after his son was arrested in a drug operation.
— Xave Gregorio (@XaveGregorio) October 14, 2022
The NUP calls Remulla "a principled man" who "will let justice take its course" @PhilstarNews pic.twitter.com/uxl8kAEFyz
“We are assured of the fact that as a patriotic citizen and head of the Department of Justice, he will always place the national interest above his personal ties,” the NUP said in a statement signed by its chairman, Ronaldo Puno, and its president, Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte (Camarines Sur, 2nd District). — Xave Gregorio with a report from Kristine Joy Patag
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