“I am not sad that it has ended, rather I am thankful that it happened. I am eternally grateful to all!”
This was the message of resigned Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II as he bid farewell to the Department of Justice (DOJ) after serving the agency for nearly two years.
In a statement issued on Friday, a day after President Duterte announced he accepted Aguirre’s resignation, the former DOJ chief said he was “thankful for the opportunity to have served our countrymen as the steward of your DOJ.”
Aguirre also took the occasion to express gratitude to Duterte “for the trust and the confidence he reposed on me as his first Secretary of Justice.”
“As I leave the Department of Justice, I find comfort in the thought that, by our collective efforts, we have improved the DOJ in key areas. We have achieved this by hard work and indomitable faith in the protection, providence and guidance of the Almighty,” he said.
“In our own humble way, we have delivered on our promise to make the DOJ better than when we found it,” he added.
Moreover, Aguirre recognized the efforts of DOJ officials as well as its attached agencies for welcoming him “with open arms.” He also thanked them for their support and cooperation.
“The DOJ is better not because of me but because everybody committed heart, body and soul to march towards a single cadence,” Aguirre said.
“I salute the good men and women of the DOJ for showing me how it is to serve selflessly in government. You have provided me the inspiration to lead by walking beside me, never behind me nor ahead of me, from Day One. I will cherish the bonds formed, the friendships made and the memories we shared,” he also said.
READ: LOOK: Aguirre bows out of DOJ
Aguirre then encouraged everyone at the DOJ “to welcome with the same degree of enthusiasm and cooperation, more if need be, the team of incoming Secretary Menardo Guevarra.”
“There is only one DOJ, let us love and serve it to the best of our abilities. Mabuhay po ang DOJ, mabuhay po kayong lahat,” he said.
Following Aguirre’s resignation, Duterte appointed Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra to lead the agency. Guevarra took his oath of office before Duterte at Malacañang also on Thursday.
In a text message to reporters on Friday, Guevarra said Mr. Duterte has ordered him to “bring back the DOJ’s dignified image.”
READ: Restore DOJ’s ‘dignified image’, Duterte orders new DOJ chief
“The President told me to bring back the DOJ’s dignified image. The President seldom sees me, yet he entrusts such a sensitive position to me. I’m overwhelmed with such confidence,” Guevarra said. /kga