Who is Fredderick Vida, the man at the DOJ helm?

Fredderick Vida has transitioned from officer-in-charge to acting secretary of the Department of Justice (DOJ), following Malacañang's announcement Thursday of his new leadership role.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. signed his appointment paper as acting Justice secretary on Wednesday, November 12, 2025.

In October, Vida was named officer-in-charge of the Justice Department following the appointment of erstwhile DOJ secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to the Ombudsman post.

Arrest warrant vs. Bato

Under his short term as OIC, word broke out that the International Criminal Court (ICC) allegedly issued an arrest warrant against Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa.

This was announced by Remulla, who later said the information was relayed to him by Vida.

Though the ICC and the DOJ have yet to confirm the warrant, Remulla stood by his remark and said that he has an unofficial copy of the document.

Flood control probe

It was also under Vida that the DOJ referred to the Office of the Ombudsman its recommendation to file graft, malversation, perjury and falsification of public documents charges against Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials of the Bulacan First District Engineering Office and contractors involved in five flood control projects.

However, the Ombudsman later deputized the DOJ and returned the complaints. Due to this, the DOJ will be the one to conduct the preliminary investigation.

The DOJ has already issued subpoenas against the respondents in the complaints. It set the preliminary hearing on November 14, Friday.

It was also under Vida that whistleblowers on the flood control project supposedly spilled the beans to the department, providing evidence to implicate even senators and lawmakers.

Aside from this, the murder complaint filed against businessman Charlie "Atong" Ang and other individuals over the missing sabungeros was submitted for resolution when Vida was OIC.

Caviteño politician

Before assuming leadership of the DOJ, Vida was the department's undersecretary in charge of finance, administrative service, and personnel cluster.

Vida was appointed to the DOJ in January 2023 as an assistant secretary.

He is also a key figure in the local politics of Remulla's home province of Cavite, having served as mayor of Mendez-Nuñez from 2013 to 2022. He was also elected as the municipal vice mayor in 2007.

From 2019 to 2022, Vida was president of the Mayor's League of Cavite.

In 2006, Vida was appointed assistant secretary in the Office of the Chief Presidential Counsel.

He finished his political science degree from the University of the Philippines, and his law studies at the Ateneo School of Law. He passed the Bar examinations in 1996. — VDV, GMA Integrated News