Press Release
April 5, 2018

Hontiveros on Aguirre resignation: "TOO LATE THE HERO FOR JUSTICE ZERO"

"Too late the hero for justice zero".

This was how Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros described today the resignation of Department of Justice (DoJ) Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre.

"The damage is done. By being allowed to stay in his post for the longest time, Mr. Aguirre turned the justice department into a leading purveyor of fake news, a manufacturer of fake legal cases to harass the opposition, and a refuge for drug lords, plunderers, and other high-profile criminals," Hontiveros said.

"Our justice system is now in shambles, with more and more people trusting it less and less. Mr. Aguirre's resignation is a hollow gesture. Sorry, but 'too late the hero for 'justice zero'," Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros also said that President Rodrigo Duterte's acceptance of the justice secretary's resignation absolves Aguirre from accountability and amounts to little more than a sorry attempt on the part of the President to save face despite Aguirre's repeated fiascos".

The Senator, however, stressed that the departure of Aguirre from office is a "clear victory against injustice and impunity". Hontiveros appealed to the public, who she said were the real heroes in the removal of Aguirre, to keep a close eye on the selection of a new justice secretary.

"The real heroes are the brave Filipinos who weighed Mr. Aguirre on the scales of justice, found him wanting and exacted accountability," Hontiveros asserted.

"I urge the public to continue to exact accountability from this administration and closely follow the Executive branch's process of appointing a new DoJ chief. We need to build on this victory to fully rehabilitate our justice system and restore the people's confidence in our democratic institutions," Hontiveros concluded.

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