PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is not bent on firing Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, Malacañang said Wednesday, April 4.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. ended speculations that Aguirre would be dismissed because of Duterte's supposed dissatisfaction with the Justice secretary's performance.
"No such thing," Roque told VoxPop, when asked to verify reports that Duterte would sack Aguirre.
The Department of Justice has come under fire following the agency's moves to junk cases against top drug lords Kerwin Espinosa and Peter Lim and place alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles under partial protection.
Duterte had warned to put Aguirre in jail, in replacement of Lim and Espinosa, if the two high-profile drug personalities get away with their crimes. But on Napoles's case, Duterte had distanced himself and let Aguirre's "strategy" to resolve the issue.
Last March 23, the President bared his plan to fire more government officials after the observance of the Holy Week.
Prior to Duterte's remark, Roque had said there was a plan to reorganize the Cabinet.
Duterte met with his Cabinet officials at Malacañan Palace to discuss various pressing issues concerning the country, but the possible Cabinet revamp was not among those raised, Roque said.
Roque said the Chief Executive made no mention about the mulled Cabinet shake-up during the lengthy meeting, which is nearing adjournment, as of press time.
"Cabinet meeting's last agenda item [is the] issuance of an EO (executive order) creating an anti-child labor council," he said, apparently belying reports on Duterte's alleged plan to axe Aguirre. (VoxPop Philippines)
