Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Monday declined his nomination to the Supreme Court, saying that while he was aspiring to become an Associate Justice, it has to wait for the “next opportunity” as he was still “very much in love” with his work at the Department of Justice.
Guevarra thanked retired Sandiganbayan Justice Raoul Victorino for nominating him to the SC post vacated by the appointment of Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta as Chief Justice.
In his letter to the Judicial and Bar Council tasked to vet and screen nominees for the high court, Victorino stressed that Guevarra has the credentials and experience to be appointed to the 15-member bench.
“I have known Secretary Guevarra to be a person of proven competence, integrity, probity and independence and [know] his sense of patriotism through his socio-civic engagements,” Victorino said.
While expressing his gratitude for the nomination, Guevarra said he would have to forego the opportunity, as there are still a lot of things that need to be done in the DOJ.
“No, certainly not. I very much want to join the judiciary at some future time, I just want to make sure that I am able to do something more for the DOJ before I even think or consider transferring to the judicial branch of government,” Guevarra said.
He pointed out that he would have to fill-up the many positions in the National Prosecution Service, reduce the backlogs on the petitions for review pending before his office and restore order in the Bureau of Corrections and the Bureau of Pardons and Parole before considering the SC post.
The DOJ chief said he also wanted to see the modernization of the National Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Immigration, and the Land Registration Authority, which are all attached agencies of the department, implemented during his term.
“Those are the things I need to do while I’m still with the DOJ. I do not expect that I’ll be able to complete all of these during my tenure but I hope that I’ll be able to make a dent and do something to set the progress in motion,” Guevarra added.
He admitted that he previously considered applying for the High Court in 2016, but when he was appointed to the DOJ, he found out that the work was more appealing as Justice secretary.
“In 2016, I really considered applying to the Supreme Court as one of my legal options, it’s one of my career options, but circumstances have threw me in Padre Faura, but not that part of Padre Faura, not near Taft Avenue, but Padre Faura near Robinsons, and I found out it was good, it was exciting, so Justice Victorino thank you for nominating me, but I’m still in love with the DOJ,” Guevarra emphasized.
The 65-year-old DOJ chief admitted that he cannot defer his desire to become a member of the SC too long, considering that the mandatory retirement age is 70.
“Sooner or later, once the things that I need to do at the DOJ have more or less been done or some of it, a substantial part of it has already been done then I will again consider applying for the SC,” Guevarra said.