President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. still has confidence in Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, even after he refused to represent the government before the Supreme Court regarding the habeas corpus petition filed by former President Rodrigo Duterte’s children, Malacañang said on Thursday.
Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said Marcos had spoken to Guevarra. "They talked, and I also talked to the President about that, and he says that he has not lost his trust in SolGen Menardo Guevarra," she said.
While details of their meeting were not disclosed, Castro said the President did not ask Guevarra to resign.
"When I asked him if SolGen would resign, he said, ‘I am not asking for his resignation.’ So, that's all he said. His trust in SolGen Menardo Guevarra is still there," she said.
Several sectors were surprised by the Office of the Solicitor General's (OSG) decision to recuse itself from representing the government before the Supreme Court, asserting that the International Criminal Court (ICC) does not have jurisdiction over the Philippines.
Duterte was arrested on 11 March by Interpol, with the assistance of Philippine authorities. He was taken to the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, to face charges of crimes against humanity in relation to his administration’s bloody war on drugs.
Prior to his appointment to the OSG, Guevarra served as Secretary of the Department of Justice under the Duterte administration.
While some have linked the OSG’s recusal to his connection with the Duterte administration, Malacañang has yet to comment on the matter.