WARS are not won by mere tirades. Sometimes, the best offense is silence — or at the very least, talking less.
In the case of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jovic Remulla, he was caught flat-footed when he took a swipe at the statement issued by Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte whom he claimed must have been ‘high’ over remarks regarding the ICC warrant.
“Hindi ko nga alam, kaya baka sabog noong sinabi niya kasi siya lang ang nakakita noon eh. Sa amin wala pa naman,” GMA News quoted Remulla as saying when asked about the supposed arrest warrant issued against Senator Bong Go.
Instead of issuing a categorical denial, the Davao City congressman dared Remulla to undergo a follicle drug test with him, as well as President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., and members of the First Family.
To be perfectly candid, Remulla could have simply told reporters that the DILG has yet to receive any information or document indicating that a warrant has been issued by the ICC. A one-liner will do the trick.
But he opted to trivialize, as he has always done in press conferences he himself initiated since assuming the top DILG post. Yes… walang mintis na presscon!
The result — Remulla’s big mouth boomeranged
For one, Remulla is aware that the issue of drug use haunts the person who gave him a Cabinet-rank position. He should have been more careful on innuendoes that would adversely affect his boss.
“Ako pa talaga ang sinabihan mong ‘high’ at ‘sabog,’ Secretary Jonvic Remulla? Ako? O baka nagkamali ka lang ng tinutumbok at ang gusto mo talagang sabihin ay iyong mga nasa Malacañang?” said Duterte in a social media post.
“Kung gusto mo talagang malaman kung sino ang “high” at sino ang “sabog,” simple lang naman ang solusyon. Magpa-hair follicle drug test tayo. Sama mo na ang boss mo at asawa’t anak niya. Para isang testing na lang, tapos ang usapan,” he added.
All it took Duterte to turn the table against Remulla is one social media post.
From my standpoint, whoever has been feeding Jonvic narratives every time he calls for a presscon should be replaced. Consider tapping the likes of Sammy Hormillosa, a silent operator known for delivering results.