EDITORIAL - Remulla now getting his own share of “red tagging”

The son of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla was arrested for drugs last Tuesday night. According to police, Juanito Jose Diaz Remulla III received a package from California containing 893.9 grams of high-grade marijuana with an estimated street value of P1.25 million.

No one is yet guilty of anything. The son has yet to face his day in court. The father, of course, has nothing to do with the case, He has declared he will let his son face the music without his interference, an honorable choice, no doubt.

But this early netizens and opinion-makers alike are already having a field day with what the Justice secretary failed to do and what he should do.

“The father being the DOJ Secretary should do the supreme sacrifice and resign to refrain the public from suspecting that there will be a whitewash of the case. No choice,” one netizen writes.

“Impossible, you do not know that your son is addict, how can (he) be a father (and) not know his son is. (An) addict can be easily detect(ed) by the behavior. Better resign clean your own backyard before you manage the Philippines,” another writes.

“He will not intervene, he says. But will the prosecutors, who are his subordinates, intervene?” another writes.

There are many damning reactions and even inventive ideas from others about how they see Remulla, given his position and power as head of the DOJ, can intervene in his son’s case covertly.

There is no doubt that those statements for him to resign, those statements attacking his character, and even his parenting skills are totally unfair. Even speculations on how he will allegedly meddle in his son’s case are baseless. At least for now.

But in case Remulla --who earlier infamously said red-tagging is part of the democratic process-- is feeling the sting of being unjustly accused, pre-judged, and already found guilty of something he may not have done or something he would never deign to do, that is how it feels like when one is red-tagged.

Of course we know this case involving his son and red-tagging are totally different issues. But the similarities are there. Many of those who are red-tagged are already being blamed for things others merely claim they did or are allegedly about to do.

Now that Remulla knows how it feels to be pre-judged, already declared guilty, and even made a target --at least of ridicule and not actual threats-- perhaps he will rethink calling red-tagging a practice of democracy.