Malacañang has not yet appointed the replacements to the undersecretaries and assistant secretaries of the Department of Justice who resigned to give Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra a free hand in selecting the members of his own team at the DoJ.
Guevarra said he is still in the process of scouting for replacements for the officials of the DoJ he earlier asked to resign from their posts.
“I’m still in the process of looking for good and trustworthy people,” Guevarra said.
According to him, the DoJ officials who tendered their courtesy resignations will continue to perform their duties until replacements have been selected.
“We don’t need to replace them all and at the same time,” he said.
The DoJ chief said the changes might even come after the May 14 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections since there is an election ban on appointments.
Nonetheless, Guevarra admitted that while he can make recommendations to Malacañang, it is still up to President Rodrigo Duterte to make the final decision.
Guevarra said almost all of the DoJ undersecretaries and assistant secretaries have handed in their courtesy resignations, except for Assistant Secretary Adonis Sulit who is on vacation.
Sulit is a career official and the memorandum asking the DOJ senior officials to resign made an exception for career officials as defined by civil service laws, rules and regulations.
The department has five undersecretaries—Antonio T. Kho Jr., Erickson H. Balmes, Raymund L. Mecate, Reynante B. Orceo and Deo L. Marco. Kho, Balmes, Mecate and Orceo are fraternity brothers of Aguirre and Duterte in the Lex Taliones Fraternity while Marco is the son of a Lex Taliones member.
The current DOJ assistant secretaries are Adonis P. Sulit, Juvy R. Manwong, George O. Ortha II, Moslemen T. Macarambon Sr., Cheryl L. Daytec-Yangot, Sergio E. Yap II and Margaret C. Padilla.
It would be recalled that Guevarra said he was given a free hand by Duterte to institute reforms and other measures to improve the delivery of services of the DOJ as well as to remove or replace officials in the department.