Remulla wants stiffer penalties vs. lawyers involved in 'demanda me' racket --- By HANA BORDEY, GMA Integrated News

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Monday proposed to the Senate the crafting of a law that will impose stiffer penalties against lawyers who assist foreigners in filing cases against themselves to avoid deportation. Remulla said that this "demanda me" raket has been a source of income for some lawyers. “Mas mahalaga siguro ay malaki ang penalties sa mga lawyers na maga-assist ng 'demanda me' raket na ginagawa po ng mga foreigners… Pangkabuhayan po talaga. May ‘Demanda me’ package po na ginagawa ang mga lawyers minsan para hindi ho mapa-deport 'yung mga tao,” Remulla said during the Senate finance committee hearing on Department of Justice and its attached agencies’ proposed P34.486-billion budget for 2024. (It is important to increase the penalties against lawyers who assist in the 'demanda me racket' by foreigners… This has become a livelihood for our lawyers. There is a so-called 'demanda me' package where lawyers are involved so the foreigners will not be deported from the Philippines.) He also raised the need for a law that will "immediately" waive these alleged trumped-up charges filed by the foreigners against themselves. "'Yung batas ho kasi hindi natin puwede i-deport habang may kaso sila dito… kung meron ho tayong batas na hindi ho na lalo na immediately puwede ho natin i-waive yung cases, makabubuti po sana 'yan," he said. (Under our law, we cannot deport foreigners if there have pending cases… If we will have a law that will immediately waive these trumped-up charges then that would be good.) The DOJ chief mentioned the case of a woman who filed a case against his Japanese boyfriend for alleged violation of the Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) Act. "Nakita namin isang kaso sa Japanese noon, 'yung girlfriend po na nag-file ng VAWC, lagi hong bisita at lagi nagbebeso-beso at bumibisita pero may VAWC case siya laban sa boyfriend niya," he said. (One of the examples is a case where the girlfriend of a Japanese national filed VAWC charges against him but she’s visiting him frequently and kissing him on the cheeks.) Remulla also noted the cases of Japanese nationals who supposedly filed cases against themselves. In February, the DOJ said it will address the issue of the suspected filing of contrived cases with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI). —KBK, GMA Integrated News

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