JHE FILIPINO Drug Enforcement Agency is usually quick to brag about its most notable drug busts. But he remained silent when his agents arrested Juanito Remulla on October 11 and seized 894 grams, or $22,000, of extra-strength cannabis they suspected him of importing. Indeed, the most notable aspect of the bust was that the 38-year-old suspect is the eldest son of Jesus Crispin ‘Boying’ Remulla, the Attorney General (pictured), who is ultimately responsible for prosecuting these crimes.
When the agency finally announced the arrest on Oct. 13, the minister promised to let justice take its course, issuing a handwritten statement acknowledging that his duty would trump his paternal instincts. Yet, by remaining in office, he failed to dispel any lingering doubts about his impartiality. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, the president, approved his decision to stay. This may turn out to be a calculation error.
For Mr. Remulla Sr., the problem is that only the eventual conviction of his son on all charges would convince skeptics that prosecutors did not give him preferential treatment. Yet this would lead to a grim fate: Penalties for drug offenses in the Philippines are severe, even when the drug in question is cannabis, which is far less harmful than the country’s most popular narcotic, methamphetamine, known locally as shabu. Mr. Remulla junior faces life imprisonment if convicted.
The case also has wider implications. Rodrigo Duterte, Mr. Marcos’ predecessor as president, oversaw a bloody campaign to wipe out the shabu commerce, which resulted in the extrajudicial execution of more than 6,250 suspects during his six years in office, according to the official tally. The Philippine government, under Mr. Duterte and Mr. Marcos, resisted efforts by the International Criminal Court to investigate the early stages of the country’s war on drugs. The government argues that its own justice system in general, and the Justice Department in particular, can be trusted to impartially prosecute and punish any wrongdoing. Letting young Mr. Remulla go lightly would weaken that argument. The president and his attorney general are inclined to protect Mr. Duterte because his daughter, Sara Duterte, is Mr. Marcos’ ally and backup.
The case also reflects badly on Mr. Marcos, who is trying to rehabilitate the reputation of his family, ruined by the violence and corruption of the regime presided over by his dictator father, also called Ferdinand Marcos, until a popular uprising pushed him into exile in 1986. The trial of Mr. Remulla junior could well have implications for the reputation of the three political families. ■