SENIOR Deputy State Prosecutor Richard Anthony D. Fadullon has been assigned to fill in the shoes of former Acting Prosecutor General Jorge G. Catalan, following the latter’s voluntary exit from his post.
In his Department Order No. 384 released on Friday, Department of Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra designated Mr. Fadullon as the new officer-in-charge of the DoJ’s National Prosecution Service (NPS) starting on Saturday “until a new Prosecutor General is appointed by the President.”
Mr. Guevarra told BusinessWorld on Thursday that Mr. Catalan voluntarily requested to be relieved from his post to focus on his responsibilities as Makati City Prosecutor. He was designated the Presecutor General on June 9 last year by Mr. Guevarra’s predecessor, Vitaliano N. Aguirre II.
Sought for comment, Mr. Fadullon told reporters, “[m]oving forward, there are a lot of concerns that we have to look into and address as far as the National Prosecution Service is concerned. Among them are the spate of killings of prosecutors that have remained unsolved.”
“In the meantime, we will focus all efforts towards professionalizing the NPS and increasing the efficiency of our (prosecutors). Hopefully this will renew the trust of the people in the NPS (and) the DoJ,” he added.
Mr. Catalan welcomed the appointment of his peer, telling BusinessWorld in a text message: “(Mr. Fadullon) deserves the post! Best choice sya as PG!”
Mr. Guevarra also said on Friday, “new key appointments at the DoJ will be announced in the next few days.” He declined to disclose more details when pressed further by reporters. — Dane Angelo M. Enerio

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