THE Makabayan bloc has filed House Resolution No. 488 seeking a House inquiry to determine if the PNP and the PDEA are giving special treatment to the Justice Secretary’s son, Juanito Jose Remulla III, “in contrast to what usually happens when those involved are ordinary citizens.”
HR No. 488, filed by party-list Reps. France Castro (ACT), Arlene Brosas (Gabriela), and Raoul Manuel (Kabataan), looks into the operational standards and actual practices of the PNP and PDEA and other law enforcement agencies in the handling and treatment of suspects, arrestees, and detainees.
The resolution cited alleged instances of special treatment, first of which is the blurring of the suspect’s face in the mug shots released to the public after the arrest.
The militant lawmakers said the younger Remulla was also apparently protected from taking the drug test required in certain cases under Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act) “after his lawyer ‘immediately intervened’ and upon the insistence of PDEA, that the drug test is ‘not material’ to the case, as alleged by the agency’s spokesperson.”
The resolution said a positive result would have added a charge of and penalty for illegal drug use against Remulla’s 38-year-old son.
“There would be no issue had much of this kind of treatment also been accorded by law enforcement agencies such as PDEA and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to other suspects and arrestees who are wealthy and/or prominent. However, this is not the case, as evident from numerous reports of violations of the procedural and substantive rights of suspects, arrestees, and detainees who are ordinary individuals, including drug users and low-level drug offenders,” the resolution said.
