
Ten years ago, outgoing Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said he was offered both the posts of justice secretary and solicitor general.
“Maybe the time wasn’t ripe then. Now everything’s coming back to me. It’s the hand of God at work,” Guevarra said on Friday, June 17.
Guevarra, who accepted his designation as solicitor general by incoming President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., said the role of solicitor general fits him better.
“The SOJ (secretary of justice) is very high-profile and has more administrative work, supervising many attached agencies,” he said.
“The solicitor general position, I thought, better suited me because I had been in law firm practice for 25 years,” he explained.
Meanwhile, National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) President Edre U. Olalia expressed hope that Guevarra would “recoup the trust, professionalism and integrity that were compromised by perceived political partisanship and weaponization of the law.”
“While we have principled disagreements with the outgoing SOJ on certain fundamental issues, he appears to be a more decent and reasonable public official who is by and large respected for trying to be faithful to the ‘rule of law’ and due process despite or because of his position,” Olalia said.
“We hope he will not only truly be a Tribune of the People but also the conscience of the administration especially on matters of human rights and good governance,” he added.
Cavite 7th District Rep. Jesus Crispin “Boying” C. Remulla is set to take over Guevarra’s post at noon on June 30.