Left Photo: Mulanay mayor Joselito Ojeda (center, in blue). (Photo grab). Right Photo: Ex-DOJ Sec. Vitaliano Aguirre during a PDP-Laban g...
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| Left Photo: Mulanay mayor Joselito Ojeda (center, in blue). (Photo grab). Right Photo: Ex-DOJ Sec. Vitaliano Aguirre during a PDP-Laban general assembly at Quezon Convention Center in Lucena city. (JOHN BELLO) |
by John A. Bello
LUCENA CITY – Mulanay mayor Joselito ‘Tito’ Ojeda has expressed ‘regret and sorrow’ over the resignation of Dept. of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, his townmate, on Thursday, April 5.
“Sayang na sayang at nakakalungkot. Ngayon lang nagkaroon, at marahil ay matagal pang panahon na mauulit ito, o hindi na mauulit pa, ang maliit at malayong bayan ng Mulanay na ang isang anak nito ay naappoint sa pinakamataas na posisyon sa gobyerno na gaya ng Secretary of Justice,” Ojeda, a veteran radio journalist who owned a local radio and tv station here, said in his statement which circulated Friday in Facebook social media.
Without giving any details, Ojeda did not mince words when he said that instead of bringing development projects to Mulanay, Aguirre has brought controversial charges against his political foes.
“Dapat ay karangalan, pero pulos kahihiyan, as justice secretary, ang ginawa niya na damay ang aming bayan. Dapat charity begins at home. Kaya tunay, nalulungkot ang buong Mulanay,” said the mayor who allegedly has not been in good political terms with Aguirre ever since.
Pres. Rodriguo Duterte has accepted Aguirre’s resignation without any explanation and immediately appointed Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra as the new DOJ chief.
Duterte was Aguirre’s fraternity brother and classmate in the College of Law in San Beda University.
Aguirre issued a statement on Friday, expressing his gratitude to the president “for the trust and confidence he reposed on me as his first Secretary of Justice.” He bid farewell to the DOJ saying “In our own humble way, we have delivered on our promise to make the DOJ better than when we found it.”
Aguirre was hounded by controversies in the DOJ handling of high-profile cases which most likely led to his resignation.
Early last month, a DOJ resolution has cleared suspected drug lords Kerwin Espinosa, Peter Lim and 20 others of drug charges.
Due to public outcry of the dropping of charges by the DOJ panel, Aguirre has later nullified the findings of the panel and ordered a new investigation.
Former assistant state prosecutor and now Lucena Regional Trial Court Judge Aristotle Reyes was among the signatories in the resolution by the panel of prosecutors that dismissed the drug complaint against Lim, Espinosa and 20 others.
Aguirre also led the prosecution of drug charges against Sen. Leila de Lima which caused her imprisonment, the clearing of former Bureau of Customs chief Nicanor Faeldon in the P6.4 billion drug smuggling, and recently for making Janet Napoles, alleged pork barrel queen, a state witness.
Asked for comment from Quezon Gov. David ‘Jayjay’ Suarez over Aguirre’s resignation, Webster Letargo, his chief of staff, declined and merely said that whatever the governor’s comment might be given a political color by the media.
Pressed on to elaborate, Letargo said thru text: “Deklarado na sila na lalabanan niya ang Suarez. At saka sinabi niya na Suarez ang nagpapatalsik sa kanya. I don’t think makikisangkot pa si Gov.”
Early last month, Aguirre, appointed president of PDP-Laban Quezon council, has announced that his son, Aristotle ‘Aris’ Aguirre, is poised to run for the province’ 3rd congressional district which has long been under Suarez’ political control.
House minority floor leader Danilo Suarez, the governor’s father, is the incumbent congressman of the district which is well known as Quezon Bondoc Peninsula.
Aguirre has made the information before members of the Sangguniang Bayan of Mulanay and several barangay leaders and political aspirants for the upcoming May 14 barangay elections.
The young Aguirre was said to have been designated chairman of PDP-Laban for Quezon 3rd district.
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