DOJ exec applying for judge post

An official of the Department of Justice (DOJ) is applying to be a judge at a metropolitan trial court (MeTC) in the National Capital Judicial Region.

Assistant Secretary Neal Vincent Bainto, who is also the DOJ's deputy spokesperson, is among dozens of applicants for the position of presiding judge at the MeTCs in Caloocan, Las Piñas, Manila, Marikina, and Quezon City, according to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, who sits at the JBC as an ex-officio member, said he is aware of Bainto's application. He said Bainto has long considered a career in the judiciary.

If Bainto would be appointed as a judge, his departure from the DOJ will be the second in a row, following the sudden resignation of Undersecretary Markk Perete over what he said are serious and personal reasons.

Asked how this would affect DOJ operations, Guevarra said Bainto's application "will take a long time to process." As for Perete, Guevarra said he is distributing the former undersecretary's duties.

"The DOJ is a robust and resilient organization," Guevarra said.

"It has gone through a lot of bumps and shocks, as you all know. But I'd like to believe that it has become tougher after going through these tough times," he  said.

Bainto said he applied last February and expects the application process to take some time.

"I have no intention of leaving the DOJ anytime soon and will consider the judiciary post, if and when given the opportunity," he said.

Guevarra had recommended both Bainto and Perete to the DOJ after President Rodrigo Duterte assigned him to take over the department following Vitaliano Aguirre II's resignation in 2018.

Former congresswoman Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, the wife of Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, and Adrian Sugay, previously a Philippine Ports Authority official, also joined Guevarra at the DOJ. —KBK/BM, GMA News