Jesus Crispin "Boying" Catibayan Remulla (; born March 31, 1961) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who has served as the 59th
secretary of justice since 2022. He previously served as a representative of Cavite from 2004 to 2013 and again from 2019 to 2022.
While in Congress, Remulla served as
deputy speaker
Deputy or depute may refer to:
* Steward (office)
* Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy"
* Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including:
** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spain ...
during the
15th Congress (2010–13) and was the senior deputy majority leader in the
18th Congress (2019–22). In the latter role, he was an articulate opponent of
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...
and was among the 70 House members who voted to
reject the broadcast network's franchise renewal. He also served as
governor of Cavite
The governor of Cavite is the local chief executive of the Provinces of the Philippines, Province of Cavite in the Philippines.
History
During most part of the History of the Philippines (1521–1898), Spanish colonial era, Cavite was administ ...
from 2016 to 2019 and a member of the
provincial board from 1992 to 1995.
He is member of the Remulla political dynasty of
Cavite
Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite (; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region. On the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest of Manila, i ...
. His brother,
Jonvic, is also an incumbent Cabinet member as the
Secretary of the Interior and Local Government
The secretary of the interior and local government (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Kalihim ng Interyor at Pamahalaang Lokal'') is the member of the Cabinet of the Philippines, Cabinet in charge of the Department of the Interior and Local Governm ...
. His father,
Juanito
Juanito is a given name or nickname, meaning "Little Juan" or Johnny. Notable people with the name include:
Professional footballers
* Juan Ignacio Gomez Taleb (born 1985), Argentinian forward
* Juan Díaz Sánchez (1948–2013), Spanish forw ...
, was the provincial governor for fourteen years. His other brother,
Gilbert, a former television reporter for ABS-CBN, was the representative of the
2nd district from 2001 to 2007. His son,
Crispin Diego, succeeded him in Congress, while his other son, Francisco Gabriel, is a member of the Cavite Provincial Board.
As a broadcaster, he hosts a radio program titled "Executive Session" on
DZRH
DZRH (666 AM) is a radio station owned and operated by MBC Media Group. The station’s studios are in the MMG Building, Star City, V. Sotto Street, CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay with transmitter along I. Marcelo Street, Brgy. Malan ...
.
Education and legal career
Remulla completed his primary education at
De La Salle University
De La Salle University (), also referred to as DLSU, De La Salle or La Salle, is a private, Catholic coeducational research university run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools with main campus in Taft Avenue, Malate, Man ...
and his secondary education at
Ateneo de Manila High School. He obtained his
bachelor of arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree in political science as pre-law from the
University of the Philippines Diliman
The University of the Philippines Diliman (also called UPD; ), also referred to as UP Diliman, is a State university and college (Philippines), public, coeducational, Research university, research university located in Diliman, Quezon City, Ph ...
and graduated from the university's
College of Law in 1987, where he was a fellow of the
Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity.
Remulla passed the
bar exam
A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction.
Australia
Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associat ...
and the Career Executive Service Board Examination in 1987. He began his law practice as a private practitioner, being a Senior Partner at the Remulla and Associates Law Office.
Cavite Provincial Board member (1992–1995)
Remulla entered politics when he successfully ran for a seat in the
Cavite Provincial Board in 1992. He concurrently became a Consultant and Provincial Coordinator for the
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA; ) is a government agency of the Philippines responsible for constituting the regional government of Metro Manila, comprising the capital city of Manila, the cities of Quezon City, Caloocan, ...
(MMDA) on the
Carmona Landfill Project.
However, he chose not to seek re-election in 1995 to return to legal practice, thus serving for only one term.
Estrada administration (1998–2003)
Remulla became Assistant Secretary at the
Office of the President during the term of President
Joseph Estrada
Joseph Ejercito Estrada (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor, who served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 until his resignation in 2001. ...
from 1998 to 2001.
From 2001 to 2002, he became the chief of staff of Estrada's wife, then
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
and former
First Lady Luisa Pimentel-Estrada. He was also the spokesperson of
Puwersa ng Masa
Puwersa ng Masa (PnM, Force of the Hoi polloi, Masses, also known as LDP–Pwersa ng Masa) was the Philippine opposition's political multi-party electoral alliance in the 2001 Philippine general election, May 14, 2001, midterm Legislative electio ...
,
and later served as spokesperson of the
Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino
The Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (), formerly Partido ng Masang Pilipino (), is a populist political party in the Philippines. It is the political party of former Philippine President Joseph E. Estrada. In the May 1998 presidential election, ...
.
Representative (2004–2013)
Remulla subsequently ran for
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
in a controversial
2004 election. During the campaign, he was upset by Cavite Governor
Erineo "Ayong" Maliksi, who was a fellow member of
Partido Magdalo, because of his support to
Silang Mayor Ruben Madlansacay, who ran as
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States
* Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
for congressman. He won as congressman in the district more than two years after the death of Napoleon Beratio.
In 2007, he won for the second term as congressman against then Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Manny De Castro, also from Silang.
In 2009, he among with fellow representatives of Cavite –
Joseph Emilio Abaya
Joseph Emilio "Jun" Aguinaldo Abaya (born May 28, 1966) is a Filipino politician, lawyer, and military officer. He was the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) of the Philippines under the administration of ...
and
Elpidio Barzaga, Jr. – authored the biggest congressional reapportionment in the history of the Philippines by passing Republic Act No. 9727, unofficially titled The Cavite Congressional Reapportionment Act of 2009, bringing the representatives of Cavite from three to seven.
In 2010, he defeated
Tagaytay Councilor Laureano Mendoza to claim his third consecutive term and first under the newly created
7th district of Cavite. On July 26, 2010, he became one of six
Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives under the speakership of
Feliciano "Sonny" Belmonte, Jr.
Tagaytay mayoral run (2013)
In 2013 elections, he ran for Mayor of
Tagaytay under the
Nacionalista Party
The Nacionalista Party (Filipino language, Filipino and Spanish language in the Philippines, Spanish: ''Partido Nacionalista''; , NP) is a political party in the Philippines which is the oldest existing party in the country and in Southeast Asi ...
but lost to Agnes Tolentino of the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
.
Governor of Cavite (2016–2019)
In
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
, instead of running for Congress against incumbent
Abraham Tolentino, Remulla substituted his younger brother
Jonvic to run as
governor of Cavite
The governor of Cavite is the local chief executive of the Provinces of the Philippines, Province of Cavite in the Philippines.
History
During most part of the History of the Philippines (1521–1898), Spanish colonial era, Cavite was administ ...
, which he successfully won. During his term, the Cavite provincial government achieved ISO 9001:2015 recertification by the SOCOTEC Certification Philippines, Inc. (SCPI) for the Quality Management System covering 29 government offices. In May 2018, he signed an agreement with the Humanitarian Leadership Academy and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency to improve Cavite's readiness for potential earthquakes, particularly along the
West Valley fault line in eastern Cavite.
Representative (2019–2022)
Remulla served as governor of Cavite until 2019, when he successfully ran for congressman of the redistricted 7th district.
In 2020, Remulla played a major role in the
ABS-CBN franchise renewal controversy
The shutdown of ABS-CBN broadcasting arose from the lack of renewal of Philippine media network ABS-CBN's congressional broadcast franchise. The disputes between the administrations of Presidents Benigno Aquino III and Rodrigo Duterte and th ...
along with
Rodante Marcoleta and
Mike Defensor. They accused ABS-CBN for tax avoidances (by using
shell corporations such as
Big Dipper
The Big Dipper (American English, US, Canadian English, Canada) or the Plough (British English, UK, Hiberno-English, Ireland) is an asterism (astronomy), asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them ar ...
), selling Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDRs) for foreigners (which is a possible violation of 1987 Constitution, prohibiting aliens for owning a mass media in the Philippines), using
Channel 43 to continue digital broadcasts after the shutdown on May 5, using ABS-CBN facilities, and submitting an alleged tampered
Torrens title
Torrens title is a land registration and land transfer system in which a state creates and maintains a register of land holdings, which serves as the Incontrovertible evidence, conclusive evidence (termed "Defeasible reasoning#Political and judic ...
. He enlisted the help of the
National Bureau of Investigation to go after his critics on social media, accusing them of cyberbullying for criticizing him when he disrespected the
Philippine national anthem. On July 10, 2020, Remulla, an ex-officio member of the
Legislative Franchises, is one of the 70 representatives who voted "yes" to "kill" (deny) the twenty-five year franchise renewal of ABS-CBN, in favor of a report from Technical Working Group. After claiming continuous victory, Remulla joined with Defensor and Marcoleta for an online conversation via
Zoom and streamed on Facebook as they discuss their plans to takeover the
ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center
The ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center (also called ABS-CBN Broadcast Center; formerly known as Broadcast Plaza from 1974 to 1986 and current edifice formerly spelled officially as ABS-CBN Broadcasting Centre) in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines is th ...
in the future. This forum attracted controversy and their plans to take over the network's compound were slammed by Senate President
Tito Sotto
Vicente Castelo Sotto, III (; born August 24, 1948), is a Filipino politician and television personality who is a Senate of the Philippines, senator-elect of the Philippines. He is the longest-serving senator in the history of the upper chamb ...
and pro-ABS-CBN advocate
Christine Bersola-Babao
Maria Concepcion "Christine" Peji Bersola-Babao (; born October 30, 1970), also known as Tin Tin, is a Filipina multi-media personality. She is best known for appearing in the educational television program ''Sine'skwela''.
Life and career
Ch ...
. The former stated that the facilities of the network are constitutionally protected while the latter called the congressmen who initiated the forum as "evil".
Remulla was reelected to the Congress in
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
, unopposed. However, on May 23, 2022, Remulla accepted the offer to become the
Secretary of Justice under the incoming
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people.
** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...
of president-elect
Bongbong Marcos
Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. (, , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials BBM or PBBM, is a Filipino politician who has served as the 17th president of the Philippines since 2022. He is the second child ...
, thus resigning his rights to the seat before his new term began in order to assume the position. He would be succeeded by his son, 7th district
Board Member
A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency.
The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulations ...
Crispin Diego Remulla, who was elected through
a special election in 2023.
Secretary of Justice (2022–present)
Remulla took oath as justice secretary on July 1, 2022, before President Bongbong Marcos.
On July 13, 2022, Remulla issued Department Circular No. 027, which creates the Prosecution Integrity Board to look into misconducts of government prosecutors and recommend sanctions against them if necessary, as his first order as Justice Secretary. He also issued a circular that would give himself additional powers over the National Prosecution Service (NPS), a unit under the
Department of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
. On July 28, 2022, he also said that he doesn't think that "we need to spend the next 100 years running after the
Marcoses" while discussing the functions of the
Presidential Commission on Good Government
The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) is a quasi-judicial government agency of the Philippines whose primary mandate is to recover the ill-gotten wealth accumulated by Ferdinand Marcos, his immediate family, relatives, subordi ...
(PCGG) that went after the
ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos family. He added that there is no need to abolish the PCGG.
In November 2022, Remulla rejected the recommendations for the Philippines to adopt
SOGIE bill, laws legalizing
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
, divorce and abortion, and many more citing it "not acceptable in the Philippines, being a pre-dominantly
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
nation." He added that "they want the SOGIE Bill for same-sex marriage to have the same as in their countries. So, that's not acceptable for us. They really want a lot to be implemented here." The justice department defended Remulla's decision to immediately reject all the recommendations.
According to a report of the
Commission on Audit, Remulla is the highest-paid Cabinet member as of 2023, earning a net pay of that year.
During his tenure, the department's human rights and gender equality offices were established.
Remulla tendered his resignation on May 22, 2025, following a directive from President Marcos calling for a
cabinet-wide resignation. Remulla will continue to serve as secretary until the President accepts his resignation, if the President does so.
Controversies
Alleged payment and red-tagging of Robredo supporters
On his radio show ''Executive Session'' on
DZRH
DZRH (666 AM) is a radio station owned and operated by MBC Media Group. The station’s studios are in the MMG Building, Star City, V. Sotto Street, CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay with transmitter along I. Marcelo Street, Brgy. Malan ...
, Remulla questioned the large turnout of individuals during a political rally of
presidential aspirant and Vice President
Leni Robredo
Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo (; Gerona; born April 23, 1965) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 14th vice president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. She is the mayor-elect of Naga, Camarines Sur, having won the ...
conducted in
General Trias
General Trias (), officially the City of General Trias (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popul ...
,
Cavite
Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite (; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region. On the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest of Manila, i ...
. He alleged that the supporters of the candidate were paid each to join the rally and that some individuals were simply ferried to the venue from other areas of the city to artificially create a large crowd.
With uniformed volunteers and possibly local politicians simply leading or paying random passerby to join the rally. The grand rally in question is reported to have been the largest rally of the presidential candidate as of March 6, 2022, with at most 50,000 individuals joining the rally according to a local news report.
Remulla further stated that there were leftist student activists who joined the crowd. He alleged that these students were supposedly trained by the
National Democratic Front, a leftist organization with ties to the
Communist Party of the Philippines
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP; ) is a far-left, Marxist–Leninist–Maoist revolutionary organization and communist party in the Philippines, formed by Jose Maria Sison on 26 December 1968.
The CPP has been fighting a gue ...
. He also alleged that Robredo had come to an agreement with the communists as well.
Remulla was also joined by presidential candidate and provincemate
Ping Lacson who, upon reading a
articleabout Remulla's allegations, tweeted a warning about the dangers of a coalition government with the communists.
Robredo has since denied these claims and decried the
red-tagging of Remulla's fellow "Caviteños" (term used to describe individuals from the province of Cavite),
describing such red-tagging and accusations of vote-buying as an insult to Remulla's provincemates.
Remulla supported presidential candidate
Bongbong Marcos
Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. (, , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials BBM or PBBM, is a Filipino politician who has served as the 17th president of the Philippines since 2022. He is the second child ...
in the
2022 presidential election. Together with his brother, then-Cavite governor
Jonvic Remulla
Juanito Victor "Jonvic" Catibayan Remulla Jr. (; born October 23, 1967) is a Filipino politician who had served as the 42nd secretary of the Interior and Local Government, secretary of the interior and local government since 2024. He previously ...
, Jesus Crispin actively
campaigned for Marcos.
Personal life
He is member of the Remulla political dynasty of Cavite: His father,
Juanito
Juanito is a given name or nickname, meaning "Little Juan" or Johnny. Notable people with the name include:
Professional footballers
* Juan Ignacio Gomez Taleb (born 1985), Argentinian forward
* Juan Díaz Sánchez (1948–2013), Spanish forw ...
, was the provincial governor for fourteen years. His brother
Gilbert, a former television reporter for
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...
, was the representative of the
2nd district from 2001 to 2007. His other brother,
Jonvic, is the current
interior secretary.
Remulla's children include his eldest son Juanito Jose III,
Crispin Diego (also known as Ping), Francisco Gabriel (also known as Abeng), Lea, and Jacinta (Reyna ng Turismo Cavite pageant president). Three of his children are also in politics: Ping succeeded him in a
2023 special election as representative of
Cavite's 7th district, Abeng is a current member of the
Cavite Provincial Board and the governor-elect of Cavite in
2025
So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...
, and Jacinta is the vice mayor-elect of
Naic
Naic (), officially the Municipality of Naic (), is a municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 160,987 people.
Etymology
Naic, Cavite is one of the former barrios of Maragond ...
in 2025. Among Remulla's grandchildren is Dia Maté, Lea's daughter who is a singer and winner of
Reina Hispanoamericana 2025.
On October 11, 2022, Juanito Jose Remulla III, then 38, was arrested in
Las Piñas
Las Piñas (, officially the City of Las Piñas (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of ...
for a drug prohibition violation involving worth of
kush
KUSH 1600 AM is a radio station licensed to Cushing, Oklahoma. The station broadcasts a Full service format, consisting of local and national talk, sports
Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, tha ...
weighing close to . However, he was later acquitted by Las Piñas Regional Trial Court Branch 197 on January 6, 2023.
Illness
In a
press conference
A press conference, also called news conference or press briefing, is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalism, journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicia ...
on February 26, 2024, Remulla admitted that
complication affected his
immune system
The immune system is a network of biological systems that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to bacteria, as well as Tumor immunology, cancer cells, Parasitic worm, parasitic ...
due to his June 27, 2023
coronary artery bypass surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery, also known as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG, pronounced "cabbage"), is a surgical procedure to treat coronary artery disease (CAD), the buildup of plaques in the arteries of the heart. It can relieve chest ...
of his 5
arteries
An artery () is a blood vessel in humans and most other animals that takes oxygenated blood away from the heart in the systemic circulation to one or more parts of the body. Exceptions that carry deoxygenated blood are the pulmonary arteries in ...
. On May 30, 2024, Asec. Jose Dominic Clavano IV, the DOJ
spokesperson
A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.
Duties and function
In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...
, told reporters in a
Zoom interview that Remulla was at
home care
Homecare (home care, in-home care, care at home), also known as domiciliary care, personal care, community care, or social care, is health care or supportive care provided in the individual home where the patient or client is living, generally focu ...
recovery, citing that his immune system remains weak due to medications. Following a four-month absence since March 4, 2024, Remulla made his first public appearance during the signing of the DOJ–
National Prosecution Service’s Revised Rules on Criminal Procedure on July 10.
References
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Remulla, Jesus Crispin C.
20th-century Filipino lawyers
People from Imus
University of the Philippines Diliman alumni
1961 births
Living people
Nacionalista Party politicians
National Unity Party (Philippines) politicians
United Nationalist Alliance politicians
Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Cavite
Deputy speakers of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
Governors of Cavite
Filipino radio personalities
Bongbong Marcos administration cabinet members
Secretaries of justice of the Philippines
Members of the Cavite Provincial Board