Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin 'Boying' Remulla on Tuesday shut down the mounting calls for him to resign amid the arrest and drug charges against his eldest son.
“It will not happen. I will not comment anymore on other issues there, but it will not happen,” Remulla said in a press conference, the first time he faced the media after he arrived from Geneva and the arrest of his son.
He said stepping down from his post was not his “call” to make.
“I am a very honorable person when it comes to this. It's the President's call and if I feel later on that I am not effective anymore in the position then I will talk to the President about whatever has to be done in the future,” Remulla added.
The Justice Chief shared that he talked to President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. the moment he arrived in the country from Geneva.
“He said he commiserates with my plight as a parent, that's all. And he said that we just go back to work. He said we need you,” Remulla said.
“Sabi niya we have to start working again in the local scenes as you were able to do well in the international scene. We need you again in the local scene to do what has to be done, to continue what we have been doing to reform the justice system,” he added.
Marcos first rejected the calls for Remulla to leave his post.
Remulla, who earlier vowed that he would not interfere in the drug case, said he has not spoken to his son or anybody.
He also claimed that he has not asked for any favors from anyone.
“I just talked to a cousin of mine who's a lawyer, who will start or has started representing him already. That's everything that I have to do with the case. I've nothing else to do with the case,” he added.
Remulla said he would not comment on the claim that his son is receiving special treatment.
On Oct. 11, Remulla’s 38-year-old son, Juanito Jose Diaz Remulla III, was arrested during drug operations by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
According to PDEA, Juanito received the parcel containing 937 grams of high-grade marijuana “kush” with a street value of Php 1.25 million.
He is facing charges of importation of dangerous drugs and violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, the agency said earlier.
