MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. still trust Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra despite the latter’s decision to inhibit from defending the government’s position on former president Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest.
Presidential Communications Office’s Undersecretary Claire Castro said the Chief Executive has no plan to fire or ask Guevarra to tender his resignation.
Castro added that Marcos already talked to Guevarra after the latter’s recusal from representing the Philippine government in Duterte’s case but she opted not to give details on what they talked about.
“Noong tinanong ko po siya kung magre-resign si SolGen, sabi niya, ‘Hindi ko hinihingi ang pagre-resign niya.’ ‘Yun lang po ang sinabi niya. So, nandoon pa rin ang trust niya kay SolGen Guevarra,” Castro said.
On Monday, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) submitted a formal request to the Supreme Court, asking to withdraw from the habeas corpus petitions initiated by the children of former President Duterte, which aim to facilitate his release and return from The Hague, Netherlands.
The OSG indicated that it “may not be able to effectively represent” government entities due to its strong position that the International Criminal Court (ICC) lacks jurisdiction over the Philippines.
In response to the OSG’s request, Castro noted that Guevarra did not assert that cooperating with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) regarding the execution of the arrest warrant against Duterte was inappropriate.
Duterte is currently facing charges of crimes against humanity related to fatalities from his drug war during his tenure as mayor and president, and he is being held at the International Criminal Court’s facility in The Hague./PN
