A lawmaker part of the progressive Makabayan bloc raised on Monday, Oct. 17, what she called “special treatment” in handling the case of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla’s son over drug possession.

House Deputy Minority leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro claimed Juanito Jose Diaz Remulla III was still given special treatment even as the Justice secretary said he will not intervene in nor influence in his son’s case.

Juanito is facing criminal charges after he was arrested for supposedly claiming P1.3 million worth of "kush,” or high-grade marijuana, in a controlled delivery operation in Las Piñas City last week.

He was indicted before the Las Piñas City Prosecutor’s Office which recommended no bail for his temporary liberty.

Castro questioned the delayed public announcement of Juanito’s arrest by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

READ: Sec. Remulla’s son charged criminally before RTC

"This started with the almost two day delay of publicizing the arrest of Juanito Remulla's arrest in Las Piñas City. His father who was in Geneva was even among the first to know the arrest. What transpired during the almost two day delay," she asked.

The opposition lawmaker also questioned the “blurring“ of Juanito’s mugshots that the PDEA released to the media.

“Their common practice though is that they not only release the unaltered mugshots of drug suspects but they also parade them in front of media as early as they can," Castro said.

The House Deputy Minority leader lamented the “protection” of Remulla’s son from being subjected to a mandatory drug test.

“It should have been done within 24 hrs after his arrest if there is reasonable ground to believe that he is under the influence, but with the almost 2 day delay that was skipped by the PDEA and even up till now he has not been tested," she said.

READ: DOJ Sec. Remulla: ‘Do not let my son’s case be appealed to my office’

Castro then pointed to the substantial delay in the filing of the case as to the alleged importation of the illegal drugs.

"The case for the importation of illegal drugs should have already been filed last week but what is taking the Pasay prosecutor so long?," she asked.

The Makabayan solon claimed that the handling of Remulla son’s case was in contrast to the arrest of thousands of other drug suspects during the previous administration’s war on drugs.

"If this kind of treatment is accorded to other suspects then there would be no problem but that is not the case. More often than not they are already paraded before being hauled to jail or worse, killed," the lawmaker said.

"If these are not (instances of) special treatment then I don't know what is.This is the problem with Sec. Remulla is still at his post as the justice secretary and did not resign or even take a leave of absence,” she added.