Earlier we said that when an office asks any official to submit a courtesy resignation, what they are doing in effect are two things: First, they are sparing the office the unpleasant job of firing an employee. Second, they are giving the official involved a graceful exit. He can always say that he resigned because he had a better offer. If you are fired, it is always assumed that it was for a just cause.
There was a time when the word "fired" was not used when it concerned cabinet members. They said he "was removed from office" or "relieved of his duties." Today, those who are removed from the cabinet are not given an opportunity to leave their office with dignity. That is why many qualified people will not accept any position in the government.
If the President is dissatisfied with the performance of any of his appointed officials, said official should be the very first to know. According to former Justice Secretary Serafin Cuevas, President Estrada did not inform him that he had been relieved of his position. He learned about it from the press and other people. If so, this was not fair to Cuevas. We recall that when the Manero pardon became a scandal, Secretary Cuevas came to the defense of the President saying that it was perfectly legal. He forgot that the issue was not whether the President had the power to pardon, but whether he was using his prerogative to pardon in the interest of peace, order and justice. Cuevas also said that the order was irrevocable. This, despite the fact that it was not he who endorsed the recommendation of the Board of Pardons and Parole. It was Undersecretary Juan Liwag.
If there are officials who should be held accountable for Manero's pardon, it should be the members of the Board of Pardons. Obviously, they did not know their job. Manero tried to escape while he was in prison. So, how could they say that he behaved well while in prison? More important, he ate the brains of the priest he murdered. That makes him a psychopath. The Board of Pardons admitted that Manero did not undergo any psychiatric treatment while in prison. In short, they endorsed the release of an unrehabilitated psychopath.
We cannot but conclude that Cuevas has been made a scapegoat.