Palace distances from Remulla’s pitch to revive death penalty for drug traffickers

Presidential Communications Office Usec. Claire Castro during a press briefing in Malacañang Palace in Manila on July 18, 2025. Revoli Cortez, PPA pool/FileMANILA — Malacañang on Tuesday distanced itself from Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s statement that he is in favor of reviving the death penalty for major drug traffickers.

“Ang mga pananaw po ni Sec. Jonvic Remulla ay alam natin nanggagaling sa puso dahil alam natin at nakikita natin kung ano iyong kaniyang nagiging experience sa panghuhuli ng mga gumagawa ng iligal,” Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro told Palace reporters.

“Kung ano ang kaniyang pananaw ay irespeto natin sa ngayon ngunit ang usaping death penalty ay dapat na inaaral at binubusisi,” she said.

The implications of reviving the death penalty is not limited to domestic concerns, the Palace said.

“Mayroon din tayong mga kapitbahay, mayroon ding mga ibang bansa na hindi nagsusulong ng death penalty na maaaring makaapekto sa ating mga pagsusulong  let’s say sa issue ng asylum,” Castro said.

“So, hindi po muna magbibigay ng anumang stance ang Pangulo. Hayaan nating aralin ito nang mas malalim,” she said.

Remulla raised discussions about stiffer penalties for drug trafficking weeks after Lao authorities seized around 500 kilograms of shabu bound for the Philippines.

Philippine authorities earlier said that the shipment was financed by a former parliament member of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and investigations are ongoing to uncover the full scale of the scheme.