“No Special Jail for Crooks!” Boying Remulla Slams VIP Perks for Flood Scammers

Country Club Custody Cancelled: Flood Thieves Now Share the Same Stink

By Louis ‘Barok‘ C. Biraogo — February 24, 2026

MGA ka-kweba, close your eyes and picture it.

Your lola in Tondo, knee-deep in floodwater that smells like death and broken promises, because the ₱545 billion “flood control” budget from 2022-2025 somehow produced zero functional dikes and a lot of ghost concrete. Now zoom in on the guy who allegedly inserted the project and took his 20-40% cut: he’s lounging in an air-conditioned cell with pizza delivery, conjugal visits, and a Sandiganbayan hearing that can wait until 2028 because, well, comfort.

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla just set that fantasy on fire.

In a Daily Tribune report dated February 22, 2026, he looked his own brother, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla, dead in the eye (metaphorically, via public airwaves) and said: “Don’t put up special jail. Because if there is a special jail the politicians that will be incarcerated will enjoy it and all the cases will be delayed.” He’s seen the “country club” quarters before. “It is not allowed. It shouldn’t happen anymore.”

Bong Revilla Jr. — freshly slapped with plunder and graft over alleged flood-control insertions — is already tasting the new reality at the brand-new Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory in Payatas. His petition to transfer back to the soon-to-be-demolished Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center? Denied by the Sandiganbayan. Welcome to the plebeian wing, Senator. The only VIP here is the smell of 1,330% congestion in some cells.

This isn’t just policy. This is performance art with a constitutional spine. And as your resident Barok — the guy who’s been dissecting this circus since the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) days — I’m here to eviscerate every sacred cow, praise where praise is due, and warn where the rot still festers.

***“Senator to Sardine: How Bong Revilla Lost His Aircon and Found His Soul (Maybe)”***

The Flood of Filth: ₱118 Billion a Year Down the Drain, and the Water Still Rises

Let’s not pretend this is abstract. The flood-control scandal is the biggest corruption heist under Marcos Jr. so far. Ghost projects in Bulacan, substandard dikes in Mindoro, congressional insertions that smelled like kickbacks from day one. Contractors like the Discayas and Sunwest, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials, and politicians (Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada, Zaldy Co, and whispers about higher up the food chain including Speaker Romualdez’s alleged ₱1.68B slice) allegedly turned public misery into private swimming pools.

Business groups screamed for an independent probe. The Senate Blue Ribbon did its dance. Commission on Audit (COA) flagged anomalies. The Independent Commission on Infrastructure (EO 94) produced referrals. Ombudsman Remulla (then still Justice Secretary) and now full Ombudsman filed the first batch of cases. Even the Remulla brothers say they rejected a ₱1 billion bribe to kill the investigation. Heroic? Sure. But in this country, rejecting one bribe while the system produces a thousand more is like refusing one lechon and calling yourself on a diet.

Meanwhile, Manila floods every habagat. Flood victims get relief goods and prayers. The thieves get options.

No VIP Perks: Boying Remulla’s Equal Protection Power Move

Remulla is right on the merits. Special cells for “high-profile” detainees are not security — they’re status symbols. They scream: “The law is equal, but some are more equal than others.” Article III, Section 1 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution doesn’t have an asterisk that says “unless you used to have a Senate office and a TV show.”

The equal protection clause allows reasonable classification, but it must rest on substantial distinctions germane to the purpose. “You’re a politician” is not a substantial distinction. It’s a job title. Security concerns? Fine — classify by risk, not by title. Aircon, flat-screen, and gourmet meals? That’s not security. That’s a resort membership paid by the same taxpayers you robbed.

Remulla’s logic on speedy trials? Brutal but brilliant. Under Republic Act No. 8493 (the Speedy Trial Act of 1998), arraignment must happen within 30 days, trial within 180 days. Comfortable detention turns the accused into a tortoise. Uncomfortable (but humane) detention turns him into a hare. It’s not coercion; it’s basic human incentive. You don’t want to stay in Payatas? Then waive dilatory motions and let’s finish this.

But let’s be honest — I’m not giving Boying a free pass just because he’s finally swinging the hammer I’ve been begging for since Estrada’s hospital arrest.

Legal Autopsy: Where Every Argument Dies a Painful Death

Arguments FOR special jails – “Security! These men have enemies! They’ll be killed in regular jails!”

Bull. The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and PNP have high-risk classification protocols. Put them in a secure wing with extra guards. Not a five-star suite. The Supreme Court in Enrile v. Sandiganbayan (G.R. No. 213847, 2015) allowed humanitarian considerations for bail, not for luxury. Security is legitimate classification. Pampering is not.

Arguments AGAINST Remulla – “This is coercive detention! Violates presumption of innocence! Separation of powers!”

Half-true, half-copium. Pre-trial detention is not punishment. Using discomfort as leverage walks a thin line. But the Ombudsman isn’t ordering solitary confinement; he’s ordering no special privileges. That’s different.

Separation of powers? Remulla’s directive to DILG is executive-to-executive. Courts still decide case-by-case transfers (People v. Court of Appeals (G.R. No. 183652, February 25, 2015); Revilla’s recent denial). He’s not encroaching; he’s setting policy for the facilities the executive controls.

Under Republic Act No. 6770 (the Ombudsman Act of 1989), he has power to direct corrective action against impropriety. Special jails for the powerful is impropriety.

Republic Act No. 3019 (the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) and Republic Act No. 7080 (the Plunder Act) lose moral force when the accused live better than the victims. Republic Act No. 6713 (the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees) demands public officials avoid even the appearance of preferential treatment.

Republic Act No. 9745 (the Anti-Torture Act of 2009) prohibits degrading treatment — and luxury for the rich while the poor suffer in hellholes is degrading in reverse.

Estrada v. Sandiganbayan (G.R. No. 148560, 2001) already killed the “I’m too important” defense. Coscolluela v. Sandiganbayan (G.R. No. 191411, 2013) killed deliberate delay. The jurisprudence is clear: no VIP justice.

Who Are These People, Really? A Psychological Profile

Boying Remulla: Battle-scarred Cavite boy turned graft-buster. He’s seen the inside of the system from Congress, governorship, Justice Secretary, now Ombudsman. The ₱1B bribe rejection wasn’t theater — it was a man who knows that once you take the first envelope, the dynasty dies in shame. He wants a legacy as the guy who didn’t bend. But he’s also a Remulla. The dynasty angle stings.

Jonvic Remulla: The loyal younger brother, DILG fixer, jail administrator-in-chief. He’ll comply because family and administration survival demand it.

The Accused Politicians (Revilla et al.): Narcissistic entitlement wrapped in “public service.” They genuinely believe they are different. Prison is for the little people.

The Marcos Administration: Needs a win. Floods + corruption = electoral poison before 2028 presidential election.

The Public: Righteously furious today. Will forget by next viral scandal. Short attention span is the real enabler of impunity.

The Courts: The last firewall. Sandiganbayan has shown spine denying Revilla’s transfer. They must continue — case-by-case, transparent, no rubber-stamp.

VIP Jails Are an Abomination — Full Stop

The old PNP Custodial Center wasn’t a jail. It was a hotel with bars. Aircon, flat TVs, family quarters, catered food. While BJMP jails hit 386% congestion nationwide, the powerful got spa treatment. That is not “humane.” That is institutionalized two-tier justice. It spits on every flood victim, every taxpayer, every poor detainee sleeping on concrete.

Morally: Public office is a public trust (Article XI, Section 1 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution). You don’t get to steal from the public then demand better conditions than the public you robbed.

Optically: Every photo of a senator with a smile and a visitor’s badge erodes trust faster than any plunder acquittal.

Legally: It violates equal protection and the spirit of Republic Act No. 9745 in reverse.

The Deeper Disease: This Isn’t About Cells, It’s About the Plantation

Special jails are a symptom. The disease is elite impunity + dynastic politics + a justice system designed to bend for the connected. Flood control is the perfect case study: money meant for the poorest provinces funneled through congressional insertions to allies, contractors, and re-election funds. Dynasties protect dynasties. Remulla dynasty included — I’ll call it on my own side too.

Abolishing special cells while leaving regular jails at hellish congestion is treating a gunshot wound with a Hello Kitty Band-Aid. We need root-canal reform.

Projections: Short, Medium, Long — The Tsunami Is Coming

Short-term: Faster resolutions in some cases. More transfer petitions. Media circus. Possible Commission on Human Rights (CHR) complaints on “inhumane” Payatas conditions.

Medium-term: Deterrence signal. Contractors think twice. 2025 elections become a referendum on “no more VIP justice.” Remulla brothers become either heroes or nepotism villains depending on delivery.

Long-term: If paired with real jail reform — public trust inches up. Corruption culture takes a hit. If not — deeper cynicism. Flood resilience remains a joke. The Remulla dynasty either cements itself as reformers or joins the long list of “same same.”

What Must Happen Next — Concrete, Actionable, No Bullshit

To Ombudsman Remulla

You’re right. Now go further. File a formal recommendation to Congress for a law banning luxury amenities in all detention facilities for public officials. Use Republic Act No. 6770 powers to audit current BJMP/DILG practices. Fast-track flood cases with weekly status reports. And for the love of God, address the dynasty optics — recuse where family overlap exists.

To DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla

Implement uniform standards immediately. High-risk classification equals enhanced security, NOT enhanced comfort. No air-conditioning (AC) for anyone unless medically necessary for all. Transparent criteria. Publish the list of who gets what.

To Congress

Pass the “Equal Detention Act” — one standard for all pre-trial detainees. Fund BJMP decongestion (build more facilities, use Supreme Court circulars on releases). Criminalize “special arrangements” as violation of Republic Act No. 6713.

To Sandiganbayan and Supreme Court

Strict scrutiny on all transfer petitions. Require medical evidence, not press releases. Monitor conditions proactively.

To the Public

Stop worshipping politicians. Demand live-streamed jail inspections. Support genuine reformers but verify. The power is yours — use it before the next flood kills more of your neighbors.

Complementary Jail Reform

Because I’m not a hypocrite. 386% congestion is torture. Build modular facilities. Accelerate good conduct time credits. Use technology for monitoring. Treat regular detainees with dignity too. Equality means lifting everyone, not dragging the powerful down to hell.

The Gavel Drops

This isn’t about vengeance. This is about the coldest, most beautiful legal principle we have left: ice-cold equality under the law.

No better. No worse. Just the same rules for the senator who allegedly stole flood money and the jueteng lord in the next cell.

Boying Remulla, you swung the hammer. Now don’t drop it. The Republic is watching. The flood victims are watching. History is watching.

And if the Remulla dynasty uses this moment to prove that power can be used against power — not just to protect it — then maybe, just maybe, this country still has a pulse.

Otherwise, we’ll all just keep drowning.

— Barok
The truth hurts. Impunity hurts more.