Remulla, Nartatez may have crossed line
By revealing the names of suspects, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla and Philippine National Police chief General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. may face criminal and administrative cases, seasoned lawyer and DAILY TRIBUNE columnist Ferdinand Topacio said.
In a media briefing, Remulla and Nartatez had alternately named persons of interest (PoI) in connection with the P3.5-billion drug haul in Laos that was supposedly headed to Mindanao.
In a Malacañang press briefing, Remulla, along with Nartatez and PDEA Deputy Director Renato Amador Gumban, identified 11 persons, implicating them in the discovery and seizure by Laotian authorities of 521 kilograms of suspected crystal methamphetamine (shabu) valued at P3.5 billion.
The seizure was made on 1 October at Luang Prabang International Airport from a chartered private jet bound for the Philippines.
“What they did violated Philippine laws, particularly Article 3, Section 14 of our Constitution, which states that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. We also have the Data Privacy Act of 2012, which clearly states that a person’s face is personal information protected by the state. Showing someone’s face without a warrant is prohibited by law,” Topacio said in an interview on DAILY TRIBUNE’s digital show Hot Patatas on Friday.
He said that blurring the suspects’ faces, even while not divulging their names, also violated Memorandum Circular 2008-03 issued by the Philippine National Police, which falls under the DILG’s oversight.
“MC 2008-03 mandates law enforcement agencies not to show the names of the suspects, if they are suspects, unless they already have a warrant of arrest and are fugitives,” Topacio said.
Topacio believed the exposure of the suspects was irregular, as those responsible could face administrative liabilities and even cyberlibel charges if the mainstream media or social media published the images.
“This goes against the constitutional presumption of innocence,” he said, as he urged government officials to set a good example of upholding the law when it comes to presenting details of PoIs.
Link to Duterte maneuvered
According to Remulla, one of the 11 PoIs served in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliament, and even ran in the last elections, but lost.
A diagram showing the links had the picture of the BARMM parliament member with then President Rodrigo Duterte.
However, Remulla said they were not speculating that the PoI had connections to Duterte.
“No, they are from the same political party, but this is to counter the narrative people are developing that people from Manila are the ones involved in this caper. This operation was between the PoI and his cohorts,” Remulla said, adding that the seized substance has not been confirmed to be shabu.
But he confirmed the drugs came from the Golden Triangle Triad, but did not label it as the Davao Group.
“We are not labeling any ethnicity or city or people. We are putting a name to the face of who we suspect are the persons of interest,” Remulla said.