Outgoing Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Friday said that his appointment as president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’ s solicitor general was God’s will.

“10 years ago I was offered both the SOJ (Secretary of Justice) and OSG positions. Maybe the time wasn’t ripe then. Now everything’s coming back to me. It’s the hand of God at work.

Ecclesiastes,” Guevarra said in a message to reporters.

Likewise, Guevarra admitted that he prefer to work at the OSG, in contrast from being a justice secretary, which he conceded requires tedious work.

” Honestly, yes. A SOJ is very high-profile and has more administrative work, supervising many attached agencies. The solgen position, I thought, better suited me. Because I had been in law firm practice for 25 years,” Guevarra said.

Guevarra, who was chosen for his sterling performance as a lawyer for over 30 years, graduated magna cum laude majoring in Political Science from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1974.

Guevarra obtained his Masters in Economics from the University of the Philippines and worked at the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) from 1977 to 1983.

He received his Bachelor of Laws degree from the Ateneo and placed second in the 1985 bar exams.

Guevarra began private law practice in 1986 and started teaching at his alma mater Ateneo in 1990 as part of the Law School faculty, specializing in civil law, criminal law, and administrative litigation.

Before being appointed as ad interim Justice Secretary in 2018, Guevarra was the Deputy Executive Secretary of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

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Hector Lawas