By Robert B. Roque, Jr.
Since President BBM has already spoken, there’s no use in floating any suggestion that Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla should resign over the arrest of his son, Juanito Jose Remulla III, for alleged drug trafficking.
However, opposition leader, Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, is correct in pointing out that the Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary must explain the delayed announcement of his son’s arrest.
No special treatment, right, Mr. Secretary?
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Speaking of equal treatment of suspects, did anyone care to notice that no attempt was made to blur the face of the alleged “confessed gunman” in the Percy Lapid killing? However, in the case of Remulla’s son, his face in the mugshot was blurred.
Still, I honestly can’t tell if the face of Joel Estorial – presented before the media by Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos – is that of the same person as Percy Lapid’s hitman shown in the CCTV image.
Perhaps, Abalos’s eyesight is better than mine or many of ours.
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At this point, I’d like to give space to the voice of Lapid’s brother, veteran journalist Roy Mabasa, who is requesting the Philippine National Police (PNP) for a face-to-face encounter with the suspect to check out his story.
Mabasa: “I would like to request the PNP to allow the family, kahit ako na lang, to meet him. If the PNP can also do a walkthrough sa crime scene and cross-check whether the surrenderee is the same person na nakita namin sa CCTV;
“This is not because I am doubtful of the results of the investigation, but this is just a reservation na siya talaga yung nakita namin sa CCTV;
“We have to cross-match. We would like to think the PNP is gracious enough to allow the family to examine these things.”
Firing Line believes that to be a valid request. None of us wants to sit on a fall guy – not that I’m saying he is.
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Finally, I heard from around Quezon City’s street corners that one district’s tricycle drivers now feel neglected by this independent congressional candidate they carried to victory last May.
The trike drivers felt so cared for by this newbie politician because during the campaign, he gave them a gas subsidy of P3,000 a month, which he vowed to become a “regular ayuda” once he got elected to Congress.
Now that he’s suited up for the House, trike drivers have not seen a centavo of that ayuda. It seems like it was just a “regular promise” that they got from a “regular politician,” after all.
Recently, he went from an independent to taking his oath as a Nacionalista before House Senior Deputy Majority Leader Sandro Marcos.
Bagay ka dun, sir!
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SHORT BURSTS. For comments or reactions, email firingline@ymail.com or tweet @Side_View. Read current and past issues of this column at https://www.thephilbiznews.com
