Duterte to new justice chief: 'Do what is right'

MANILA, Philippines — “Do what is right.”

Newly appointed Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said in a text message that these are the instructions of President Rodrigo Duterte upon his assumption of new duties as interim justice chief. "The president told me to bring back the [Deparment of Justice]'s dignified image," he added.

He also said that he feels "overwhelmed" with the confidence given to him by the chief executive.

Guevarra took the vacated seat of former Justice chief Vitaliano Aguirre II after Duterte, in a speech late Thursday afternoon, said that he has accepted the resignation of his fraternity brother and law school classmate.

READ: Menardo Guevarra replaces Aguirre as Justice chief

Duterte, however, did not detail Aguirre’s reason for stepping down from his post.

Before Aguirre’s resignation, he was hounded by criticisms over the DOJ-issued resolution that dropped drug raps against Kerwin Espinosa, Peter Lim, Peter Co and a dozen others. State prosecutors said that the police filed a weak complaint. The Philippine National Police later admitted that they did not attach Espinosa’s confession to their complaint.

In the nearly two years of serving as justice chief, Aguirre has been put in hot water several times over the DOJ's handling of several high-profile cases, the latest of which was the admission of businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged brains of the multi-billion pork barrel scam, under provisional government protection.

READ: Six controversial cases that earned Aguirre criticism

A little more than an hour after Duterte's speech, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that Guevarra has taken an oath before the president.

Guevarra was given ad interim appointment since the Congress is currently in recess.

The new justice secretary was part of the former President Benigno Aquino III’s five-member Truth Commission that was formed to “seek the truth” on graft and corruption.

During Congress' deliberation on Duterte's request for a year-long extension of martial law in Mindanao, Guevarra was a resource speaker for the government and fielded questions from lawmakers to defend the extension.

Guevarra said that he is currently "winding up" work at the Office of the President before moving to his new post at the DOJ.