IN his first flag-raising ceremony as Justice Secretary, Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla trained his sight on three sub-agencies of the department that he said is weighed down by the presence of alleged syndicates.
Remulla identified the three as the Land Registration Authority, Bureau of Immigration, and the Bureau of Corrections.
“These three agencies are really in need of our help,” Remulla told hundreds of DOJ officials and employees who attended the flag-raising rites.
Remulla said he was told yesterday that a syndicate was operating in the LRA but did not divulge details.
“Yesterday, a friend who is a law practitioner told me about the activity of a syndicate operating in the LRA. This syndicate practically has people in nearly all agencies of the government,” Remulla said.
To recall, the DOJ-led Task Force Against Corruption established by the previous administration also identified the LRA as among the most corrupt-prone agencies of the government.
In July last year, the Ombudsman suspended for five months, without pay, five officials of the LRA, led by its legal service chief, for allegedly conspiring to legitimize titles of over 18,000 square meters of prime real estate within the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig city.
Remulla also lamented the presence of syndicates at the Bureau of Immigration allegedly involved in “extortion and human trafficking and protection.” He said this is sad considering that the BI is a frontline agency of the government.
“There’s an extortion syndicate, human trafficking syndicate and protection syndicate. The said thing is that the Bureau of Immigration exercises sovereign powers. It is the face of the country,” he added.
Last year, two former immigration officials — Deputy Immigration Commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles —were convicted for plunder and graft for extorting P50 million from Chinese gambling lord Jack Lam in 2016. The two were sentenced by the Sandiganbayan to life imprisonment.
Recently, the Ombudsman indicted 43 immigration officials and staff over the so-called “pastillas scheme” where foreigners, mostly Chinese, were allegedly whisked past airport counters in exchange for P10,000 to P20,0000 per person.
Remulla said illegal activities continue to hound the BuCor, which is tasked with the operation and safe keeping of the country’s penal detention facilities, including the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa.
Aside from the national penitentiary, the BuCor also manages the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong city, Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro, San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga city, Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan, Leyte Regional Prison in Abuyog, Leyte and the Davao Prison and Penal Farm in Davao del Norte.
These prison facilities hold 46,572 inmates, with the largest in terms of inmate population being the NBP with 28,500, including over 17, 000 in its maximum-security compound.
“And the BuCor is also there as the third agency that we need to look at since illegal activities continue that are destructive to society,” Remulla said.
The BuCor has long been embroiled in corruption controversies, among them the Good Conduct and Time Allowance issue in 2019, the illegal drug activities inside Bilibid, and deadly riots.
Last Friday, the National Bureau of Investigation filed murder charges against 22 policemen from the National Capital Region Police Office assigned at NBP in connection with the deaths of eight high-profile inmates due to COVID-19 in 2020.
The NBI investigation showed that COVID-19 may have been used as a cover for the deaths of the eight.
Remulla also defended his appointment to the DOJ, saying President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. picked him precisely because he can get things done.
“Because I can get things done, that is the ultimate reason probably why I was chosen by the President. And that I accept challenges. I have accepted all the challenges given before me in my whole political life, professional life,” Remulla said.
As justice chief, Remulla said he would ensure the department would give justice to every Filipino, no matter his or her economic circumstances.
“You can expect the next 2,182 days to be action packed, full of commitment and full of hope in each and every Filipino wishing to fulfill the expectations of all, that this country can be a better country for all of us,” he said.
“You can expect me to be totally committed to our cause, totally committed to what the Department of Justice stands for and should stand for, and I can tell you without blinking an eyelash, that I am ready to give my life for this, no ifs or buts,” he added.
