The pains and anguish of a father

I am a father of three boys and two girls and I know how a father feels when one of his children gets into trouble with the law. And the unkindest cut of all is when you are the head of the justice department and your eldest son is caught by the police in connection with an alleged felony related to drugs.

Which way would you go? To be a true father to your son who is in utmost need for help, or to be a true public official who is sworn to uphold the law without fear or favor? This is the most difficult decision to make. And so, those who are not completely privy to the facts of the case should refrain from making comments in order to be fair to the family and the country. I am not exactly a fan of the Justice secretary. He does not know me from Adam. And I am not exactly a believer of the brand of politics of the Remullas, just as I reject the politics of the Revillas and the Tolentinos in Cavite. They are all perpetrators of family dynasties and propagators of traditional politics.

But I am looking at Justice Secretary Boying Remulla more as a father and less as a public servant. A good father should immediately rush to see his son and comfort him and assure him that the resources of the whole family shall be marshaled to give them adequate and competent legal assistance. The good father of the family would cut short his official trip to Europe and fly home via the earliest flight in order to fulfill his duties as a father. For there is no success in politics, no prestige in high public office, no honor in career successes if there is failure in the family. If I were in his shoes, I would tender my resignation, or, at the very least, take an official leave while his subordinates in the prosecution service shall do their job without undue pressure. One cannot resign as a papa or dad, or take a leave as a tatay.

But he has chosen to uphold his duties by declaring that he would not interfere in the handling of the case. His son is old enough to discern and contemplate the full consequences of his acts. If he is guilty, then just like any other Filipino who has been arrested, charged, and prosecuted, he must face the music and accept the full penalties attached to such a high crime. This is not a mere traffic violation or driving without license. This is alleged possession of prohibited drugs in large quantity. And remember that drugs are rampant in Cavite and in the southern Luzon area. Imagine the son of the Justice secretary being handcuffed. And imagine, the father declaring on TV that he would allow justice to take its course and he would have a hands-off policy.

Well, if this were an ordinary street urchin with a small sachet of marijuana, perhaps, he would be subjected to a drug test. Not only that, the interrogation would have been very intense and animated. Others in the previous administration even ended up in the morgue for an alleged attempt to draw a gun or bladed weapon against the police. And the members of the police have the perfect right to defend themselves. But since this is someone special, he was allegedly not even subjected to the obligatory drug test. He was thus given special treatment even when his father said he would not interfere. What I heard on TV was that someone said that a drug test is irrelevant to the case of Remulla's son. Tell that to the marines.

Well, let us hear from the International Court of Justice on that. The Justice secretary said that the ICC doesn’t have any reason to interfere in domestic justice issues because our judicial system is robust and working well without fear or favor. This case involving his own eldest son is an acid test for him both as a Justice Secretary and as a father. I would say even more so, as a father.

He must be feeling the deepest anguish and lingering pains right now. Let us not exacerbate his anxieties and sorrows but just pray for Boying Remulla. But may justice take its own course and let the heavens fall wherever they may. That is regardless of whether the Justice secretary intervenes or not.