Remulla to look into witnesses’ recanted statements in De Lima drug case

Cavite 7th District Representative Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla on Tuesday said he would study the statements of witnesses in the drug cases of Senator Leila De Lima who have recanted their testimonies against her, were he to be appointed Justice Secretary.

Interviewed on GMA News’ Unang Balita, Remulla pointed out that recantations do not automatically acquit anyone.

“In fact, ang jurisprudence diyan because recantations are frowned upon by the courts. Pero pag-aaralan ko po nang husto yan. I would never turn a blind eye to the fact that there may have been abuses. Kung meron talagang mali, itatama natin,” he said.

(In fact, jurisprudence is there because recantations are frowned upon by the courts. But I will study that carefully. I would never turn a blind eye to the fact that there may have been abuses. If something is really wrong, we will correct it.)

Remulla on Monday accepted the offer to lead the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the incoming Marcos administration.

Earlier this month, former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos retracted his claim that De Lima received millions in proceeds from the prison drug trade from him.

He also said that he was threatened by then-Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II into making false allegations against her.

Ragos apologized to De Lima for testifying against her and said she should be cleared of the drug charges, for which she has been detained since February 2017.

Self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa also recanted all of his allegations against the senator, but the Prosecutor General said that his statement has no bearing on the case against her.

In response to Remulla's remarks, De Lima said that she "hopes and prays" that he would "do the right thing."

"I would be grateful to the incoming DOJ Secretary if he will personally go over my cases, and see for himself the grave injustice done to me—how his predecessors have ignored and manipulated the law by their selective prosecution where the convicted Bilibid inmates are practically granted immunity in exchange for falsely testifying against me and the other accused. A genuine, honest-to-goodness review of my cases will reveal the truth of my innocence," she said in a statement.

Favors continuation of drug war

Meanwhile, Remulla said he would favor continuing the Duterte administration’s campaign against illegal drugs under Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.’s leadership.

“Naniniwala ako na iyan [drugs] ang isa sa napakalaking problema ng ating bansa at halos lahat ng pamilya ay tinamaan na ito ng epekto ng droga,” Remulla said.

(I believe that drugs are one of the biggest problems of our country and almost every family has been affected by the effects of drugs.)

“Kailangan ituloy at hindi pwedeng itigil ito sapagkat napakadaling pera ito para sa mga taong walang konsensya. Kailangan ituloy yan ng aming administrasyon,” he added.

(The war on drugs must be continued and it cannot be stopped because it is very easy money for people without a conscience. Our administration needs to pursue that.)

Remulla on Monday said he would first check the status of the review on the deaths being linked to the government’s controversial drug war.

Asked about the alleged extrajudicial killings, Remulla vowed to take immediate and decisive actions to improve the human rights situation in the country.

“Ganoon din, siyempre violation of law 'yan—abuse of power. Kung totoo po yan, itutuloy po natin, lalabanan po natin 'yan,” he stressed.

(Of course, that's a violation of law—abuse of power. If that is true, we will fight it.)

The Commission on Human Rights on Monday (CHR) stood by its report that there was use of excessive force against drug suspects and that many victims were alleged to have resisted arrest, among other findings that led to deaths mostly in marginalized communities.

The CHR recently released its "Final Report on Investigated Killings in Relation to the Anti-Illegal Drug Campaign," which was completed by the Extrajudicial Killings Task Force led by its former commissioner Gwendolyn Pimentel-Gana.

According to the 2022 report, of 798 incidents investigated that had links to the drug trade, 793 resulted in the death of at least one victim, and the total number of victims reached 1,014.

Of this number, 920 were killed while only 87 survived. The status of the remaining seven victims is unknown. — BM, GMA News