MANILA — Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra inspected organic personnel’s offices at the Department of Justice (DOJ) compound Wednesday, ahead of his scheduled meeting with key officials of the department’s component agencies.
Among the offices visited by the newly-appointed justice chief were the offices of prosecutors, the Witness Protection Program, and other administrative offices.
Justice Undersecretary Erickson Balmes said Guevarra would meet shortly with officials of the DOJ’s agencies, namely the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Bureau of Immigration (BI), and the Land Registration Authority (LRA).
“He has been informed of the important matters pending before the OSEC (Office of the Secretary) needing his attention, mostly administrative matters, at this point,” Balmes told reporters, adding that meetings with the heads would be set as soon as schedules permit.
In the case of the BuCor, outgoing Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ronald dela Rosa has yet to assume the bureau’s top post.
Dela Rosa, however, expressed plans to take a short break after stepping down as PNP chief.
Guevarra earlier said he has yet to talk formally with his predecessor Vitaliano Aguirre II.
“Hindi pa kami nakapag-usap (We haven’t talked yet). Maybe after he has settled down, relaxed a bit maybe. I would invite him for a cup of coffee to discuss transition matters. Secretary Vit, I admire him a lot and I know him to be a very good person and malaki ang respect ko kay Secretary (Aguirre) kasi parehas din kami nagtrabaho (I have a lot of respect for Secretary Aguirre because we have worked) in the same administration and I saw how he worked,” Guevara said. (PNA)
