De Lima bids farewell to DOJ in speech

MANILA, Philippines — Justice Secretary Leila De Lima on Thursday delivered her last department-wide address for the 118th founding anniversary of the Department of Justice (DOJ) where she also bade goodbye to the agency.

In her "State of the Department Address," De Lima mentioned she is leaving DOJ after recalling her five-year stay at the department.

"It is therefore with great hesitation that I will soon leave all of you as your secretary. And as soon as I step down I will, given the occasion, surely face the president. And when I do, I will tell him this: 'Mr. President, I was not able to fulfill my mission of delivering complete justice for all. But what I did was to leave behind a Department of Justice that will, in time, accomplish that mission'," De Lima said.

"Sigurado po ako na hindi ako mapapahiya sa pangulo," she added.

De Lima wished the future Justice chief well and hoped that her tenure as the secretary was able to create good change.

She did not mention when she will leave the DOJ but hinted that it would be soon.

"As I turn over the reins to a new secretary of Justice in a not so distant time, I fervently wish that he or she will carry on with the good works of justice that we have begun and sustain the good things that we have institutionalized," De Lima said.

In her speech, De Lima showed a glimpse of the DOJ's performance in the last five years.

De Lima mentioned her accomplishments as the 51st justice and summarized it in a three-point strategy "2011 to 2016 Development Agenda," noting good governance in the system, improvement in the detection, investigation and prosecution of crimes and offenders and an adequate, accessible, fair, stable and predictable legal frame work and services.

The DOJ chief also thanked her colleagues as she bid farewell to her cherished department.

"I know that we have achieved much and I thank you all for working with me in carrying the Department to new heights. Wherever I will be in the coming years, I will always cherish my memories of having served such a premier department," De Lima said.

De Lima is a prospective senatorial candidate for the Liberal Party. She ranked seventh in the latestSocial Weather Stations pre-election senatorial survey scoring 33 percent.

Although she is rumored to pursue her senatorial bid, she has not officially confirmed it. On August 27, she celebrated her birthday and hinted she is ready to move from "point j to point s," referring to to the justice department and the Senate, respectively.