Aguirre lists accomplishments before exiting DOJ

Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II cited his accomplishments in his last flag ceremony speech on Tuesday morning.

"Last July 4, 2016, I stood before you in my very first flag ceremony here in the DOJ. During that time, I asked all of you to walk beside, not behind me nor ahead of me, as we try make our DOJ better," Aguirre said in a speech at his last DOJ flag ceremony.

"Six hundred forty-five days later, I am standing before all of you again filled with gladness in my heart and thanksgiving in my soul not only because we have made great strides in our avowed plan to better our beloved department, but more importantly I was given the treasured opportunity to meet the good men and women of the DOJ. Kayo po iyon," he said.

Among his 15-point achievement list are several infrastructure-related undertakings, including five groundbreaking events, one construction, and the signing of a future DOJ building agreement with the Davao City government.

The groundbreaking events were for a DOJ Academy and Training Center in Tagaytay City, an administration building at the main office in Padre Faura Street, Manila, and DOJ buildings in Lucena City, Tuguegarao City, and in Virac, Catanduanes, he said, also noting the construction of a regional building in Cebu City.

He said he had signed a memorandum of agreement for a yet-to-be-built site for a DOJ building in Davao City with the local government headed by Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio.

Aguirre did not fail to include in his accomplishments -- which he said was done with the help of his subordinates -- "the increase of our DOJ Provident Fund from Php 122,400.00 to Php 57,352,271.00 as of December 31, 2017."

He also mentioned the grant of benefits to prosecutor  -- such as a 30-day forfeitable wellness leave, the distribution of one brand new laptop each -- and the revision, updating and distribution of the 2017 Edition of the Manual for Prosecutors.

DOJ employees, he claimed, were also granted "improved" benefits through the Collective Negotiation Agreement in 2016 and 2017, and received thousands of office equipment.

The DOJ bail bond guide was also revised and updated, he said, likewise mentioning the "successful and all inclusive" nationwide celebration of the DOJ's 120th anniversary.

Aguirre is leaving the DOJ after President Rodrigo Duterte accepted his resignation, tendered less than a month after news broke, followed by heavy criticism, that a panel of DOJ prosecutors had dismissed charges against several drug personalities, including Kerwin Espinosa, Peter Lim, and Peter Co.

In a statement after Malacañang announced that Duterte had accepted his resignation, Aguirre boasted that he is leaving a "better" DOJ.

The drug case against Espinosa and the others will undergo further preliminary investigation by another panel of prosecutors starting April 12.

The outgoing Justice chief also came under fire when it was revealed that Janet Lim Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the pork barrel scam, was provisionally covered by the DOJ's Witness Protection Program late February.

Former Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra is replacing Aguirre as Justice secretary.

Guevarra said a review of earlier actions on the Espinosa and the Napoles cases is his "top priority." —ALG, GMA News