Juanito Remulla pleads not guilty to drug possession case

Juanito Remulla III, the son of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, on Friday pleaded not guilty to drug possession charges before a Las Piñas City court.
 
Former Quezon City lawmaker Jose Christopher Belmonte, one of Juanito’s lawyers, confirmed to GMA News Online that Remulla entered a not guilty plea before Judge Ricardo Moldez II of the Las Piñas Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 197.
 
"Yes," Belmonte said when asked to confirm that his client entered a not guilty plea during the arraignment.

According to a report by GMA Integrated News' Jun Veneracion, the arraignment was conducted through video conferencing. 

Juanito faces the penalty of life imprisonment and a fine ranging from P500,000 to P10 million if found guilty of possession of dangerous drugs, which is a violation under Section 11 of Republic Act 9165.
 
On October 11, Juanito was nabbed during a controlled delivery operation by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group in Talon Dos, Las Piñas.
 
Authorities seized a parcel containing suspected kush or high-grade marijuana worth P1.3 million during the operation.
 
Following his son's arrest, Secretary Remulla, in a handwritten statement, said he would "not intervene in his son's predicament.” He also shot down calls for his resignation.
 
Juanito is also facing complaints for importation of dangerous drugs and violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, both of which are under preliminary investigation by the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office.
 
He attended the preliminary investigation hearing on Wednesday. —Joviland Rita, Llanesca Panti, and Jun Veneracion/VBL, GMA Integrated News