Marcos: Calls for Remulla resignation have no basis

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Friday said calls for Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to step down following his son's arrest have no basis.

"I think the calls for him to resign [have] no basis," Marcos told reporters during a Department of Science and Technology event. "You call for somebody to resign if he is not doing his job or if he misbehave in that job." 

Remulla's eldest son, Juanito Jose Remulla III, was arrested earlier this week by members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in connection with a parcel allegedly containing P1.3 million worth of "kush" or high-grade marijuana.

Marcos said Justice Secretary Remulla is "very aware that he must allow the processes of the judiciary to work properly and that no one in the Executive must interfere."

He also said Justice chief has taken the "very proper position" of recusing himself from any involvement in his son's case.

Juanito was nabbed in connection with the shipment that was intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

A report on the arrest and seizure showed that authorities confiscated one parcel containing 937 grams of dried leaves of suspected kush "with a current street value of P1,311,800."

The operation, a controlled delivery, was conducted by agents from the PDEA and the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group at BF Resort Village in Talon Dos, Las Piñas on October 11 around 11:10 a.m.

The elder Remulla has said he would not intervene in his son's "predicament." He also said it is a difficult time for him and his family.

“I am both a father and the secretary of Justice, roles that I take very seriously. We all know about unconditional love, but at 38 years old, he will have to face his predicament as a fully emancipated child,” Remulla said.

"I will not intervene in nor influence my son’s predicament, and I have not done so in any way… A person should always face the consequence of their actions and I will let justice take its own course," he added.  

Remulla earlier said he arrived in the Philippines from Geneva, where he attended the United Nations Human Rights Committee, on Thursday afternoon.

PDEA said a complaint for importation of dangerous drugs under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and for failure to exhibit or deposit documents under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act has been filed against the younger Remulla. 

In a message to reporters, Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento said prosecutors in Las Piñas will handle the matter fairly.

"Clear and directions ni SOJ dyan. He will not interfere. Rest assured that our prosecutors in Las Pinas will resolve the matter fairly and independently," Malcontento said. —with Joahna Lei Casilao/KBK/RSJ, GMA News