‘A man shall not bear the sins of his son’: NTF-Elcac backs Remulla amid son’s arrest

MANILA, Philippines — The National Taskforce to End Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) stands behind Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla following the arrest of his son over alleged involvement in the importation of P1.3 million worth of kush or high-grade marijuana.

The NTF-Elcac legal cooperation cluster said the sin of Remulla’s son should not be pinned on the DOJ chief.

“Nothing is more established in law and equity that a man shall not bear the sins of his son. To pin and smear Sec. Remulla for the actions of his son is to make him liable for the sins of his son – an anathema to Biblical and legal principles.

“The unrighteousness of his son is his son’s alone, and it does not override the righteousness of Sec. Remulla in upholding and enforcing the law,” the NTF-Elcac said in a statement.

The anti-communist task force said that “contrary to the scorners, this incident shows to the Filipino people and to the world that the wheels of justice in the Philippines is turning and moving.”

“Instead of using his position to conceal and to gain leverage for his son, he sacrificed his love for his son in favor of his greater love of the nation and for justice to take its course,” they added.

Edre Olalia, president of the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL), said this incident is a “litmus test” of the integrity of the country’s justice system.

“It is a litmus test on one, the integrity of the justice system, particularly the prosecutorial service, as well as the trust of the public and confidence on the integrity of the process. Most especially the families, the human rights defender of those not privileged enough to be [in] the same situation as the son of the justice secretary.

“Either way, there will be lingering doubts as to the integrity and the trust and confidence of the people,” Olalia said in a statement.

Juanito Jose Remulla III was arrested on Oct. 11 during a controlled delivery of P1,304,800 worth of kush or hybrid marijuana.

READ: Son of DOJ chief Remulla arrested for involvement in alleged kush importation

Complaints have been lodged against the eldest son of Remulla before the Office of the City Prosecutor-Las Piñas City on Thursday, October 13, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

READ: Complaints filed vs Remulla’s son over P1-million kush import

PDEA added that the 38-year-old son of Remulla will be facing charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.

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