Guevarra turns down SC post nomination
JUSTICE SECRETARY Menardo I. Guevarra has declined his nomination for the Supreme Court associate justice position vacated by Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta. Mr. Guevarra said he is “still in love” with the Department of Justice (DoJ). “Do you know the feeling of someone who has always desired a wonderful person to be his or her spouse in the future? But somewhere along the way, he bumps into someone else whom he likes and desires?” he said in a speech in a regional conference of prosecutors. “So 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… 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,” he added. Mr. Guevarra was nominated by retired Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Raoul V. Victorino to the Judicial and Bar Council last week, saying he has known him as “a person of proven competence, integrity, probity and independence and his sense of patriotism through his socio-civic engagements.” Mr. Guevarra also said he still has a lot of things to do at the DoJ, citing the need to fill up positions in the National Prosecution Service, reduce backlogs in petitions for review, and organize the correctional system. The DoJ chief, however, said he is not closing any doors as he still wants to join the judiciary “at some future time.” — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
