Department of Justice Secretary Boying Remulla, who once said he was in favor of the death penalty for drug crimes, now seems to be in a bind after news broke that his son, Juanito Jose Diaz Remulla III, had been arrested for possession of PHP1.3 million (US$22,058) worth of imported marijuana.
Remulla has promised not to intervene in his son’s case, but many are demanding his resignation to ensure an impartial investigation. Still, a few key allies have come to Remulla’s defense — notably broadcaster Ramon Tulfo, the elder brother of social welfare secretary Erwin Tulfo and Senator Raffy Tulfo.
Tulfo took to Facebook to give his two cents on the issue, saying that Remulla cannot be blamed for a crime that his adult son committed, saying that “we parents can only do so much to guide our children on the right path.”
“Let’s not blame Justice Secretary Crispin “Boying” Remulla for his son Juanito’s offense. Juanito is 36 and no longer a child. If he made a mistake, that’s not his father’s fault. What father in his right mind would push his child to violate the law? Especially if that father is the justice secretary. Whatever discipline or lesson a parent imparts on his child can only go so far when that child grows up. We parents can only do so much to guide our children on the right path. It’s no longer the parents’ fault if our children take a crooked path,” he wrote on Facebook.
His post garnered mixed reactions, including one from a netizen who wrote the following: “[Remulla] is not an ordinary citizen. He is the secretary of justice, that’s why he needs to resign. It’s embarrassing that he cannot clean up his own backyard.”
Somehow, the long-time public service broadcaster, whose 23-year-old program Isumbong Mo Kay Tulfo! caters to a blue-collar audience, thought it was appropriate to respond with: “Hu, the delivery boy spoke! This conversation is for intelligent people only.”
That struck a nerve with other commenters on Tulfo’s page.
“So a delivery boy doesn’t have the right to take part in important issues in this country?” one asked.
“You really thought you ate?” another retorted.
Meanwhile, one posed a question worth pondering: “I wonder how many delivery boys voted for your brother as senator?”
Screenshots of Tulfo’s post went viral, with one Mark Rossimo writing: “Blue collar jobs are decent jobs performed by decent people trying to get by. They don’t live lavishly out of stolen money nor ill-gotten wealth, nor they are alleged in graft cases unlike some celebrity siblings.”
Rossimo was referring to a graft case that the Tulfo siblings were embroiled in involving a PHP120-million advertisement deal (US$2.03 million) with officials from the state-run PTV network and their sister, then-tourism secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo.
Holding his own, the delivery boy Tulfo mocked responded with the following: “Thank you sir for showing that this is how you view us who were born into poverty, who continue to grind just to rise above our circumstances. we put up a fair fight, unlike the Justice Secretary’s son.”
Now, that’s a clapback.
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