Sara Duterte calls Martin Romualdez's arrest 'drama'; Jonvic Remulla says he's stating facts

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Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday called the arrest of former Speaker Martin Romualdez "drama" days after Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said that her camp wanted her detained and handcuffed for dramatic purposes after a Quezon City court ordered her arrest for grave threats.

Asked for comment about Remulla's remarks, Duterte said it was the Interior Secretary who wanted drama.

“Siya yung may gusto ng drama at saka ang totoong drama kung makikita ninyo ay yung pag-aresto kuno kay Martin Romualdez,” Duterte told reporters.

(He is the one who wants drama, and the real drama, if you notice, is the supposed arrest of Martin Romualdez.)

Remulla earlier said that the Duterte camp initially wanted her to be incarcerated after the Philippine National Police (PNP) served a warrant for her arrest over grave threats.

“Ang drama nila, gusto nilang makulong siya. Hindi kami pumayag. We wanted to go according to the rules of law and to the rules of court,” Remulla said.

(They’re making a drama out of it. They wanted her to be jailed, but we did not allow it. We wanted to follow the rules of law and the rules of the court.)

Remulla shrugged off the vice president's remarks and advised that she focus on more pressing matters.

"I think she has bigger things to mind than me. I'm just doing my job stating the facts. She has an impeachment going on," Remulla said.

"Maybe her energies are better focused on real world problems," he said.

Meanwhile, Romualdez's lawyer Ade Fajardo said he "cannot comment at this time" regarding the vice president's remarks about the arrest of his client.

On September 7, police served an arrest warrant to Romualdez over plunder charges in connection with flood control projects while he was confined at Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City. –NB, GMA News