4 DOJ officials passed resignation letters before Guevarra order — Usec

DAVAO CITY – At least three Justice undersecretaries and an assistant secretary have submitted their resignation letters even before Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra asked all department undersecretaries and assistant secretaries to resign, a Department of Justice official said Monday.

Undersecretary Erickson Balmes confirmed that he, undersecretaries Antonio Kho Jr. and Raymund Mecate had indeed resigned.

Balmes did not say who the other DOJ officials had resigned.

“I can only speak for myself, Usec Kho and Usec Mecate, we submitted ours on Day 1 of SoJ MIG’s stewardship,” Balmes told a viber group for reporters.

He said Assistant Secretary George Ortha tendered his resignation too.

READ: Guevarra orders top-level DOJ officials to resign

MIG is Guevarra, who replaced resigned Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II. Guevarra replaced Aguirre on April 11.

Balmes, Kho, and Mecate were also Lex Talionis members as President Rodrigo Duterte.

Guevarra issued a memorandum on April 24, saying the resignations were necessary so he could have “a free hand to perform the mandate given to him by the President.”

“All incumbent undersecretaries and assistant secretaries of this Department are hereby directed to tender their unqualified courtesy resignations to the President not later than 30 April, 2018 except career officials as defined by pertinent civil service laws, rules and regulations,” his memorandum reads.

Assistant Secretary Adonis P. Sulit is a career executive service board passer.

Until the President acts on the courtesy resignation, Guevarra said the undersecretaries and assistant secretaries may continue to perform their duties subject to modification that he may deem proper. With a report from Tetch Torres-Tupas, INQUIRER.net/je