Jonvic reimburses vice mayor for drug test expenses

MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla has reimbursed Vice Mayor Jeryll Harold Respicio of Reina Mercedes, Isabela for the cost of the drug test conducted on the municipal official.

Remulla posted a reply on Respicio’s Facebook page showing proof of payment amounting to P28,011, the cost of the drug test that the vice mayor said he underwent at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City.

Respicio posted on his Facebook account a quick response code for the GCash  wallet app, which Remulla used for the reimbursement.

“Here. Happy?” Remulla said in his reply to Respicio’s post after sending the payment.

He said he used the GCash account of one of his assistants to pay Respicio.

“I don’t have GCash. I used my assistant’s account and it has been paid,” Remulla told journalists in a message on Viber.

Respicio acknowledged Remulla’s payment, posting on Facebook: “You make me happy Jonvic.”

Remulla had promised to refund Respicio when he challenged the vice mayor to take a drug test.

Earlier, Remulla said Respicio must undergo a drug test as the vice mayor acted like a drug addict when he yelled at several barangay captains during a session of the Sangguniang Bayan.

Respicio accused the barangay captains of pocketing the local government’s share in tobacco excise taxes.

Remulla said Respicio’s behavior was not normal for an elected official.

After the drug test result showed Respicio negative for illegal drug use, Remulla congratulated him, but still took a jab at the vice mayor.

“Now that it’s confirmed he’s not on shabu, totoo na talaga na natural ang sayad ng utak niya,” Remulla said.

Asked to comment about Respicio taking offense over his statement about the vice mayor’s mental health, Remulla said, “Natatawa lamang ako sa kanya.”

He said he is leaving it up to Isabela Gov.  Rodito Albano III to look into Respicio’s allegations of corruption in Reina Mercedes.