MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Tuesday clarified that there was no evidence linking the multibillion Laos drug shipment to the Duterte family but questioned why the Mindanao politician, identified as the alleged financier of the plane chartered to transport the drugs was never included in the Duterte administration’s “narcolist.”
“No evidence pointing to that. But evidence pointing na magkakilala sila (that they know each other). Rimbang ran in the same party. They’re more than friends,” Remulla told reporters on the sidelines of the 20th Asean Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime at Fairmont Hotel in Makati City on Tuesday.
“Ang pinagtataka ko lang bakit noong drug war, hindi kasama si Rimbang sa watch list kung known drug element na siya dati pa. Those are questions we have to ask,” he said.
“What puzzles me is why Rimbang wasn't included on the watchlist during the drug war, if he was already a known drug personality even back then.)
Last week, Remulla released a link chart illustrating the web of personalities allegedly involved in the attempted smuggling of the 521 kilos of shabu (crystal meth) worth over P3.5 billion into the Philippines.
“I have done so in good faith, with the hope of helping the authorities establish the facts and clear my name,” he said.
Rimbang meanwhile, could have sneaked out of the Philippines through the country’s backdoor exits in Mindanao, Remulla said.
