Remulla’s Threats Against Timor-Leste Reveal the Arrogance of Power

When a government official resorts to threats instead of reasoned diplomacy, the implications extend far beyond a single extradition case. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla’s warning that Timor-Leste’s refusal to extradite former lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr. could jeopardize its ASEAN membership application is not a demonstration of strength—it is a display of arrogance, a microcosm of how power operates when it is unrestrained by principle.

Timor-Leste is not a Philippine province to be dictated upon, nor a subordinate entity that must comply with Manila’s demands. It is a sovereign state, one that has endured the weight of colonial rule, brutal occupation, and a hard-fought struggle for independence. For the Philippines—a nation that has itself suffered under foreign intervention—to now employ coercion against a smaller state is not only hypocritical but fundamentally antithetical to the very principles of ASEAN, which supposedly emphasize mutual respect and non-interference.

Remulla’s statements are not grounded in law but in intimidation. Timor-Leste’s highest court rejected the extradition request on the basis of credible concerns over potential torture—concerns that align with international human rights standards. Rather than addressing these concerns, the Philippine government’s response is to exert political pressure, ignoring the very legal mechanisms it claims to uphold.

This episode is telling. It reveals how those in power view legal processes as tools of convenience—valid when they serve their interests, disposable when they do not. The Philippine government invokes the rule of law when pursuing its critics but disregards it when confronted with due process abroad. The message is clear: justice, in this framework, is not a principle but a weapon, wielded selectively against opponents while shielded from scrutiny when wielded by those in power.

If the Marcos Jr. administration were truly concerned with justice, it would not need to resort to diplomatic bullying. Instead, it would address the conditions that led Timor-Leste’s courts to reject the request in the first place. But to do so would require introspection—a willingness to acknowledge the systemic issues that have eroded trust in the Philippine justice system. And that, it seems, is a step too far for those who believe power alone is justification enough.