MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Monday dared critics to challenge him on the facts of the case being built in connection to the multi-billion drug haul attempted to be smuggled into the Philippines from Laos.
“I dare you to challenge me on the facts of this case, kung mali kami sa case build-up, resign na ko bukas (If we made a mistake in our case build-up), I'm handing in my resignation tomorrow. We are that confident na tama ang ginawa naming investigation,” Remulla said in a television interview.
Over the weekend, Remulla received criticism over his presentation of a diagram showing the web of personalities involved in the entire operation from sourcing to delivery in Manila.
He identified ex-parliamentarian, Edriezan Hadji Nasser Rimbang, as the primary financier of the shabu shipment while ten others were alleged to be accomplices including a police officer, a former airline pilot, a Marawi CIty resident named Fajad who was the one arrested during the interception of the chartered plane that carried the 521 kilogram shabu shipment.
Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio was among the personalities who raised concern over the release of the diagram as publicly naming individuals in a case could violate constitutional protections and privacy laws.
In an interview, Topacio said such act is violative of the Constitution as well as the Data Privacy Act of 2012 which says naming or publicly disclosing the identity of a suspect or individual before a formal charge or court-issued warrant is restricted.
Topacio said Remulla, as well as Police chief PGen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. could face administrative complaints over naming the personalities they alleged were involved as authorities, he said, should have concealed the individuals' faces and withheld their names while the investigation remained ongoing.
Nothing wrong
The Philippine National Police (PNP) also believes there is nothing wrong with Remulla’s move to name the personalities alleged in the case.
“We believe there is nothing wrong with what the SILG [Secretary of Interior and Local Government) and the PNP chief did. As we have stated earlier we do not deal in gossip and rumors. We only deal based on evidence and documents akay po nasabi ng ating SILG that we are very much confident dahil nasa atin po ang lahat ng ebidensya in coordination with the Laos and Malaysian authorities,” Col. Allen Rae Co, PNP spokesman said in a press briefing at Camp Crame on Monday.
According to Remulla, the twin shipment from Laos and Thailand was already under surveillance by Philippine authorities weeks into its supposed smuggling into Manila.
This paved the way for the cooperation of interagency counterparts including Laos authorities which resulted in the interception of the shipment and the arrest of Fajad.
“Nakita namin ang links lahat kung sino nag-procure eroplano, kung saan darating dito, kung sino ang consignee, kung sino ang nagbibigay ng pera, lahat yon, na-discover kaagad,” Remulla said.
(We saw the links such as who procured the chartered plane, where it will land, who the consignee was, who gave the money. We discovered everything.)
