PCO ASEC. VILLARAMA: Magandang hapon, Malacañang Press Corps, at welcome sa ating press briefing ngayong hapon, November 12, 2024.
Yesterday afternoon, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. met with key officials of the Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Justice, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Philippine National Police to strengthen collaboration among the PDEA, PNP and the NBI in the fight against illegal drugs.
Meanwhile, the composite team of the DILG, Departments of National Defense, Social Welfare and Development, Public Works and Highways and the Office of Civil Defense in Regions I, II and Cordillera Administrative Region met this morning to assess the impact of Severe Tropical Storm Nika in the affected provinces.
To give us updates on the two very important meetings, we have with us today Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla. Good afternoon, sir. Welcome and maybe, we can begin with the important meeting yesterday.
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Good afternoon everyone. Yesterday afternoon at 2 o’clock, the President called a meeting between the three legs of the stool of the fight against drugs. It was between the Secretary of Justice representing the NBI, also present was the PDEA Chief Moro Lazo and PNP Chief Marbil and I were there and we discussed a new strategy towards fighting the war on drugs.
For the longest time, we have been concentrating on the consumption side – arresting them on street levels, arresting them on crimes they committed on a buy bust. This time, we are going heavy on the supply side chasing after the big guns, the big suppliers, the main men involved in the importation of drugs. The personalities have been identified. I am not at liberty to discuss it. Hindi ko puwede muna sabihin but the meeting was about going after the supply side of the drug war.
The meeting ended well, it ended amicably. Today they met again at 1 o’clock, the meeting was within SOJ, the Chief PNP and the Chief ng PDEA – sila iyong nag-usap po tungkol sa number one source ng drug trade is apparently still inside Muntinlupa jail and they are going… they are taking proactive steps para alisin na iyong mga high-value detainees sa loob ng Muntinlupa and setting up a maximum-security facility somewhere in the Philippines. I think the operations will start pretty soon and we should see a marked difference in the war against drugs here in the Philippines.
On the second front, since Sunday, 10 o’clock in the morning, the OCD composed of DPWH, SND, DILG, DSWD and other agencies were tasked for a quick reaction scenario for the three approaching storms with the proactive steps kasi parating ang bagyo noong Lunes ng gabi. Tama ba ako? Tama ano, Lunes ng hapon dumating. Yeah, Monday morning dumating so Sunday, 10 in the morning nag-order na kami ng mass evacuation.
Maraming salamat sa DENR na nag-identify ng geohazard areas. Nagkaroon kami ng instruction sa lahat ng governors and mayors to preemptively move the people and over 8,000 households were evacuated. At kung hindi ginawa iyon ng ating mga magigiting na local officials, iyong mga governors at mga mayors at barangay captains, the 8,000 families who were affected approximately 50 to 60 of their homes were totally destroyed by falling trees and the effects of the rain. So, we would have a lot of casualties kung hindi na-preemptively evacuate iyong mga tao doon.
So, these are lessons learned from Kristine. Yes, lessons learned iyong nagawa doon. This time, the local governments are more existent on the evacuation proceedings and the team worked really well. So, my hats off to the OCD, they did a great job.
PCO ASEC. VILLARAMA: We can now open the floor to questions. Eden Santos, NET25.
EDEN SANTOS/NET25: Secretary, sa mga oras po na ito, may mga reports po na bumabaha na sa bahagi ng Tuguegarao dahil daw po sa may nagbukas ng dam.
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Ah hindi, hindi, hindi. Bumababa lang iyong tubig galing sa bundok pero hindi dahil sa dam. Kasi iyong dam, nag-release siya ng tubig since Saturday morning nagri-release siya at I will—I think it’s 65 cubic meters per second ang niri-release niya and it went to only up to four—at a highest point of the typhoon, it only went up to four meters below critical. So, may segue pa siya, another five meters before it overflows so it was not connected at the dam at all. Ano lang iyan, iyong tubig na bumababa talaga galing sa bundok.
PCO ASEC. VILLARAMA: Maricel Halili, TV5.
MARICEL HALILI/TV5: Sir, magandang hapon po. Sir, you mentioned na mayroon pa ring drug trade inside Muntinlupa jail. Can you tell us kung gaano katalamak/kaseryoso iyong problema natin doon until now?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Ah, ang dami nang sumubok ayusin iyan. Lahat na ginawa nila – hinigpitan, lahat na pero it seems that mayroon pa ring—systemic na iyong problema sa loob ng Muntinlupa eh, so they’re trying a new approach. Kahit anong gawin nila, after isi-sweep nila, after two weeks lahat may telepono na naman so evidently there’s something wrong within the system and changing personnel is not the answer. You have to change the location, change their availability, change their accessibility para iyong communication to with the outside world is curtailed. So, iyon ang ginagawa.
MARICEL HALILI/TV5: Pero, sir, iyong mga kasabwat doon sa Muntinlupa jail, are we looking into this?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Well, they’re being investigated. Ang report sa amin is from jail guards up to the supervisors titingnan nila talaga kung saan iyong problema. Needless to say, hindi sila kasama doon sa bagong facility, iba na ang sistemang gagamitin – using more of technology to make sure that their communications with the outside world are stopped.
MARICEL HALILI/TV5: And when you mentioned earlier, sir, na mayroon po kayong na-identify na mga personalities, big personalities involved dito sa illegal drugs, without identifying them, gaano sila kadami? I mean, are they involved in government?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: No, they’re not. They’re not. Iyong first identification namin eh the 200 high-value detainees sa loob ng Muntinlupa who were apparently still active from intercepted communications and intelligence briefings. The other high-value targets are a lot of them are based abroad, so it’s the supply side that we are—and how to intercept their interdiction nila papunta dito, paloob ng Pilipinas ang ina-eye nila.
PCO ASEC. VILLARAMA: Alvin Baltazar, Radyo Pilipinas.
ALVIN BALTAZAR/RADYO PILIPINAS: Secretary, doon sa nabanggit ninyong high-value detainees na nag-o-operate doon sa Bilibid, ililipat sila. Naka-identify na tayo kung saang lugar iyong posibleng…?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Yes, mayroon na pero hindi ko po muna sasabihin. Kapag nailipat na saka kami magbi-briefing ulit kung ano—
ALVIN BALTAZAR/RADYO PILIPINAS: Secretary, kasama ito doon sa ni-report natin kay Pangulong Marcos?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Kasama iyon at upon his instructions din, gumawa ng bagong paraan kung paano mapipigilan ang komunikasyon nila palabas ng Muntinlupa.
ALVIN BALTAZAR/RADYO PILIPINAS: Secretary, anong naging reaction niya? Nagulat ba siya na mayroon pa ring nag-o-operate doon sa—?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Alam niya eh, siya ang nagsabi sa amin eh. So, we [unclear] on intelligence briefing since siya ang nagsabi sa amin. They validated the same and so we had to take proactive measures against it.
PCO ASEC. VILLARAMA: Ivan Mayrina, GMA Integrated News.
IVAN MAYRINA/GMA-7: Sec., what prompted the meeting yesterday? Nagkaroon ho ba ng report ang Pangulo na pataas ang drug consumption o buhay na buhay na naman—?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Hindi, it’s actually… kasi pataas nang pataas ang seizures on the ground pero puro maliliit – puro one kilogram, two kilograms. Obviously, there’s something wrong kung puro ganoon lang iyong nahuhuli. So, the drug trade is more sophisticated now. They use more sophisticated methods in distribution, they use crypto currency to hide their proceeds so it’s a different war altogether.
If you look at the amount of seizures na ginagawa ngayon, it’s on a record number as compared to before and that is because of a more comprehensive plan by the government. But where we are deficient is on the supply side, so that’s where the plan is now – how to go after the supply side.
IVAN MAYRINA/GMA7: Did you say crypto, ginagamit na rin ho ang crypto currency sa—
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Iyong crypto currency ginagamit nila to hide the proceeds eh. So it’s a very sophisticated network already.
IVAN MAYRINA/GMA7: Secretary, on another issue. We’re getting reports na naaresto raw po si Ret. Col. Garma in the US. Can you tell us more about the circumstances of the arrest?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Yes, she took PR 104 last Sunday here. She arrived in the US in San Francisco. Wala siyang hold departure order; she’s not been charged with a crime kaya puwede siyang lumabas ng bansa. Kasama niya ang kaniyang anak na babae. As far as we know and we verified that, she had no departure order; she had a visa. But apparently, in the course of the hearings ng Senate, her visa was cancelled. So nagbakasakali yata siya na pumunta roon; dumating siya sa America. Ang US Immigration INS, ang US INS ang nag-flag sa kaniya. Detained sila and they’re in the process of being sent home here—back here to the Philippines.
IVAN MAYRINA/GMA7: Sorry, balikan ko lang po iyong sa Bilibid. Alam ko ho sinabi ninyo na ang pagpapalit ng tao ay hindi solusyon, but are we still retaining the BuCor Director?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: The BuCor Director is the one who is in charge of identifying kung sino iyong mga high-value targets doon. Siya rin ang in charge of identifying kung sino iyong mga possible culprits sa loob. They’ve tried many solutions but it seems that this is the last straw na talagang ililipat na talaga iyong mga detainees.
PCO ASEC. VILLARAMA: Any more questions? Pia Gutierrez, ABS-CBN.
PIA GUTIERREZ/ABS-CBN: Sec., doon sa chip natin sa strategy ‘no against drugs, may targets po ba na binanggit ang Pangulo? And how would we effectively address iyong entry ng illegal drugs coming from other countries?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: The number one control point that has to be addressed is the Manila International Container Port, Subic, and PHIVIDEC in Cagayan. They seem to be the main transit points of drugs now.
You have to remember that there are 10,000 containers a day which pass through the port. And opening the map one by one will paralyze the entire economy of the country. So now ang ginagawa nila ay kung magiging close ang collaboration nila with the foreign anti-drug entities like the US DEA para on the supply side pa lang, papasok pa lang dito, may interdiction efforts na kaagad.
LUISA CABATO/INQUIRER. NET: Sir, just to clarify: Kaya po na-detain si Garma is dahil sa visa niya na na-cancel?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Yes, she has a cancelled visa. As far as I know, her and her daughter’s visas were cancelled.
LUISA CABATO/INQUIRER.NET: And kasama po ba ito sa napag-usapan ninyo ni President kahapon?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: No, it was not discussed there. It was discussed between SOJ and I and the Chief PNP.
LUISA CABATO/INQUIRER.NET: Sir, last na lang. So sino po iyong nag-inform sa Philippine authorities about doon sa nangyari?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Sa Interpol at saka sa Immigration, ang nagsabi sa akin ay si Chief Marbil. And SOJ got the same information also.
CHONA YU/PEOPLE’S JOURNAL: Sir, quick follow-up on that. Bakit po kasamang kinansel iyong visa ng anak ni …?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: I have no idea. It was—we don’t even know why Garma’s visa was canceled. Apparently, the US flagged her and nakansel iyong mga visa nila. Kasi pati iyong anak ay hindi pinapasok eh, pareho silang pinauwi dito.
Q: [OFF MIC]
DILG SEC. REMULLA: As far as I know, pauwi pa lang. Pauwi pa lang sila dito.
CHONA YU/PEOPLE’S JOURNAL: Kailan ang dating nila, sir, expected?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: I think, tomorrow ang flight na kukunin nila.
Q: And pagdating nila dito, sir, what will happen to …?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Nag-coordinate na ang ating Bureau of Immigration at INS doon. Pagdating dito, didiretso siya, balik sa Senate kasi Senate witness siya eh. She’s actually not been charged with any crime; she’s actually a state witness. So wala talaga siyang—pero she has to be detained again in the Senate.
Q: Pero, sir, technically, wala pa siyang kaso dito?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Wala pa. But she has to be processed again ‘di ba. She has to be debriefed. And she is the Senate’s witness so … and the Congress’ witness so sila muna ang magha-handle sa kaniya.
PIA GUTIERREZ/ABS-CBN: Sir, just to clarify kasi wala siyang kaso, she was not arrested?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: She was not arrested. She was deported.
PCO ASEC. VILLARAMA: Are there any more questions for Secretary Remulla? Alvin?
ALVIN BALTAZAR/RADYO PILIPINAS: Secretary, kahapon kasi nabanggit ni Secretary Chavez na binigyan na kayo ng authority ng Office of the President para mag-declare ng suspension ng klase at saka trabaho sa government offices. Ano iyong magiging cue natin for you declare ng suspension ng klase at saka ng …
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Siyempre you read the better maps. Very accurate naman … we don’t just … PAGASA is now more adept at reading it and forecasting. But we’re also relying on JTWC, the Windy.app, the Japan Meteorological System so lahat ng information ay gina-gather namin. We make a predictive model and the rain forecast model. Dati kasi ang ginagamit lang ay path and wind eh. Ngayon, pati ang rain forecast ang sinasama.
ALVIN BALTAZAR/RADYO PILIPINAS: Secretary, are we going to set a timeline ng oras ng pagdideklara para hindi naman masyadong gahol iyong ..?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Hindi, well, when I was governor of Cavite, I was always a day ahead; binabasa ko lahat. So we’ll always be a day ahead of everyone. In fact, for Typhoon Ofel, ang instructions namin, kasi siyempre iyong mga nasiraan ng bahay, uuwi, titingnan iyong gamit nila, but as soon as predicted na kung saan talaga iyong total path niya, we are not hundred percent sure but it looks like it’s going to enter through the tip of Cagayan and exit through Batanes – hindi na siya same path; parang pakanan siya eh, paakyat papuntang Taiwan. So the eye of the storm will hit the tip of … entry ang, I think, Isabela and Cagayan – either one; and exit only the very eastern part of Luzon, ang eye of the storm.
ALVIN BALTAZAR/RADYO PILIPINAS: Sige po, sir.
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Ang predicted rain downfall niya ay 100 to 150 millimeters.
Q: Follow-up lang po doon sa tanong ni Kuya Alvin regarding doon sa pag-identify ng signal ng bagyo, hindi na po wind, kasama na rin iyong rain?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Kasama iyong rain, kasama iyong rain. Kasi ang failure natin sa Kristine ay tiningnan lang natin iyong wind; hindi natin tiningnan iyong depths and iyong flow ng expected na tubig. Hindi nila na-anticipate na within 36 hours, 960 millimeters was dumped in Sorsogon. And that is a record number, remember, Ondoy was only 480 millimeters and devastating para sa atin. Ayun, storm of the century as far as rainfall was concerned kasi iyon ay 960. So double that of Ondoy and cascading all towards CamSur.
Q: So kapag po sa ilalim sa Signal Number 1 ang PAGASA, ibig sabihin, iyong lakas ng hangin ay 75 kilometer per hour plus iyong rainfall niya is 85 millimeter, ganoon po ang ano?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: May bago ng chart na ginagamit kami and we are being more practical about it. Ang titingnan namin is a four-day window kung saan ang path niya. Every day it changes eh pero at least four days on we’re already warning the regions, the OCD is alarmed already, the local governments are alarmed already – ito iyong posibleng mangyayari. So, mas proactive na tayo. And it worked in this part kasi for the first time for a major storm to hit two times in a row, zero casualties tayo up North and congratulations to governors and the mayors.
EDEN SANTOS/NET 25: So, we’re expecting po from PAGASA na maglalabas po sila ng mga bagong guidelines sa pag …?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: No, hindi bago, more ano lang…they will release it more often. Ang timeline namin ngayon is four days before makikita mo naman sa weather map iyan eh. When it’s 2,000 kilometers away from the Philippine Area of Responsibility, then we start tracking the storm and we start the preemptive measures already.
Yes, ma’am.
Q: Sir, balik lang ako doon sa sinasabi ninyong ililipat iyong 200 inmates. Sir, paki-describe na lang po, gaano ka-secured, ano ang hitsura nitong facilities na ililipat po doon iyong 200 na high valued?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Hintayin ninyo na lang ang paglipat nila. We will have a press briefing sa loob at makikita ninyo kung anong hitsura ng facilities. But it is pretty soon. It is imminent na lilipat na sila.
Q: So, kaya din iyon, sir, iyong 200 doon? Kaya?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Kaya naman. If your question is within Metro Manila, it is somewhere in the Philippines.
Q: Sir, mala-Alcatraz iyon?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Safe to say, it will be the most secure facility yet built and iyong communication lines nila will be totally cut.
Q: Hindi ba, sir, island ito like nabanggit kasi …
DILG SEC. REMULLA: We’re 7,000 islands. You’re always in an island ‘di ba? We’re 7,000 islands, so, it will always be within one of the islands but they’ll be very secure.
Q: Bagong facilities po, sir?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Bagong ginagawa ngayon.
PCO ASEC. VILLARAMA: Aileen Taliping, Abante.
AILEEN TALIPING/ABANTE TONITE: Sir, sunod ko lang po ang Muntinlupa, sa intelligence …?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: It’s breaking the culture eh. It’s breaking the culture inside Muntinlupa. Kung titingnan mo kasi ang sistema roon, iyong mga employees ay…it is passed on from one family to the other. Some of them are four generations of employees inside BuCor. So, mas sistema na eh, kahit anong gawin mo may mangyayaring masama at masama eh.
PCO ASEC. VILLARAMA: Follow up question from Alvin Baltazar.
ALVIN BALTAZAR/RADYO PILIPINAS: Secretary, hindi naman mangyayari iyan kung hindi dahil sa pera eh. Magkano iyong involved na pera?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: We are asserting it…si Bureau of Corrections DG will be giving us a full report by this week. But it’s safe to say it is in amounts large enough to sway even the most ano eh. Kasi kahit noong panahon ni PRRD when they put…iyong Army ang bumantay sa…Armed Forces ang bumantay sa inmates eh, pati Armed Forces na-corrupt din noon eh ‘di ba? Pati sila eh! So, we have to do something different, and we are doing something different now.
ALVIN BALTAZAR/RADYO PILIPINAS: Sir, estimated amount lang per week doon lang sa pinakamababa.
DILG SEC. REMULLA: We don’t have it.
PCO ASEC. VILLARAMA: Ivan.
IVAN MAYRINA/GMA 7: Secretary, medyo lilihis ako ng topic ulit. Tungkol naman ito sa eleksiyon. Ang sinabi po ng Legal Network for Truthful Elections, nagagamit daw po sa iligal na paraan ng pangangampanya iyong abuse of state resources specially ng mga incumbent officials na may access sa gamit, pasilidad, mga tao, pag-aari ng gobyerno na dapat para sa mga tao; nagagamit para sa personal nilang pangangampanya. Where do you stand on this, Secretary, being a former local government official and now the Secretary of the Interior?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Well, I’ve been in the good side and the bad side of that. Noong governor ako noong 2010, si President Aquino went to the province seven times to campaign against me with the full force of Malacañang back then ginamit laban sa akin. Thankfully, nag-succeed pa rin ako. In the end it’s about performance. You cannot put a good man down and nananalo usually iyong most deserving candidates. So, kahit anong tyranny of the incumbent analysis ang gagawin ninyo, in the end it’s the best candidate that wins.
ALVIN BALTAZAR/RADYO PILIPINAS: But kung ang pagbabasehan po natin ay batas, election laws…?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Well, they can always file a complaint with Comelec. Titingnan nila kung may violation. Pero ang safeguard talaga niyan dapat Comelec eh. Comelec talaga iyan.
ALVIN BALTAZAR/RADYO PILIPINAS: Pero as the DILG Secretary, ano ho ang guidance ninyo sa mga LGU officials?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Well, we’re very strict sa pagdating ng election ban, election ban na talaga iyan, hindi na puwede. And if there are cases filed which several were in the last elections, na-disqualify sila ngayon for this election. So, it is up to both parties – the one on offense and one on defense to file the necessary charges para mapigil lahat iyan. And if it is proven true which we will be very fastidious with then there are no sacred cows in this government and anyone and everyone who is guilty will be meted the same force of the law.
PCO ASEC. VILLARAMA: Do we have any more questions from MPC? Last two questions. Luisa Cabato.
LUISA CABATO: Sir, going back lang po kay Garma ‘no. Clarify lang po namin, House witness po siya not Senate po?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Akala ko how sweet, House witness pala siya? Tama.
LUISA CABATO: Then, alam ninyo ba bakit na-cancel iyong visa niya?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Hindi ko alam. Actually, it’s the US prerogative to cancel it. Ang alam ko diyan, they will inform you if your visa is cancelled eh. I’m sure she was informed.
LUISA CABATO: Off mic.
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Hindi kami…we were not party to the arrest, sila lang eh. So, in-inform lang na she was arrested, that she was being…Walang HDO talaga eh. Detained pala, detained.
LUISA CABATO: Sir, what happened next pagbalik niya ng Pilipinas, magkakaroon ba ng sanctions since nag-attempt siya na lumabas…
DILG SEC. REMULLA: Wala. Wala siyang HDO nga so there is no reason to…I confirmed it with the Bureau of Immigration, walang HDO. She was free to travel anywhere except to the US kasi wala siyang visa, cancelled ang visa niya.
PCO ASEC. VILLARAMA: Helen Flores, Philippine Star.
HELEN FLORES/PHILIPPINE STAR: Paano siya nakalabas ng Philippine kung cancelled na ang visa niya?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: We wouldn’t know wala naman kasing…hindi naman dinadala ng embassy iyon [unclear] stamp at wala rin naman kung for all of you who have travelled to the airport, ang nagtsi-check lang naman dito is local aviation officer, wala namang computer link to the US iyan ‘di ba?
HELEN FLORES/PHILIPPINE STAR: So, we wouldn’t know kung…?
DILG SEC. REMULLA: We do not know kung cancelled upon entry mo lang malalaman.
PCO ASEC. VILLARAMA: And that’s our last question. Thank you very much DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla. And that’s our briefing this afternoon, magandang hapon, Malacañang Press Corps. Magandang hapon sa inyong lahat.
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