FILE PHOTO: DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — The National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) on Friday expressed its hopes that incoming Solicitor General and current Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra will be the “conscience” of the administration of President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., especially on issues concerning human rights and good governance.
“Quite a surprise,” NUPL President Edre Olalia said of Guevarra’s appointment. “It is a formidable task that will have issues and choices between the devil and the deep blue sea.”
“But we hope the new Solicitor General will anyway recoup the trust, professionalism, and integrity that was compromised by perceived political partisanship and weaponization of the law,” he added.
And while NUPL had “principled disagreements” with Guevarra, Olalia said 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.”
“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 stressed.
Guevarra, who is also the outgoing Secretary of Justice, has previously clashed with NUPL on various issues, including the Duterte administration’s controversial war on drugs.
READ: NUPL urges ICC to continue investigation on Duterte’s drug war
Guevarra was among the latest members to join the incoming administration’s Cabinet.
Aside from him, Marcos Jr.’s press secretary Atty. Rose Beatrix “Trixie” Cruz-Angeles also announced that former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile will serve as the presidential legal counsel, while former Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff General Jose Faustino Jr. was named the next secretary for national defense.
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