Executive Secretary Ralph Recto has called on the newly appointed prosecutors to exercise neutrality and remain apolitical in serving justice.
Recto made the call as he administered the oath of office to the 140 new prosecutors of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) National Prosecution Service (NPS) in a ceremony at Malacañan Palace in Manila on Wednesday.
“Let the law be your sole guide. Never allow its majesty be diluted by politics or let what is right be replaced by what is popular. You are here because you are survivors of that hard stress test called the National Prosecution Service,” he said in a keynote speech.
“You are not here to bring politics into the charging decision. You are not here to serve personalities. You are not here to serve the powerful. You are here to be fair, to hold power – any power accountable to the law,” Recto added.
Recto emphasized the importance of the rule of law and prosecutors’ duty to uphold justice with integrity and fairness.
He urged the new appointees to refrain from making any preferential treatment, reminding them that they must stick to evidence and remain free from bias and manipulation.
Recto stressed that as the newest members of the DOJ-NPS, they serve as both “justice’s fiercest advocate [and] democracy’s strongest guard rail.”
“I must say that you assume your new role during these auspicious times when our institutions are allowed to do their jobs, where truth is pursued, not staged; where justice is supported, not steered,” he said.
“For that is how the rule of law is proven: by letting due process run its course without spin, without shortcuts, without political seasoning.”
Recto told the new prosecutors to embody the highest standards of integrity, intelligence, and diligence when representing the people.
“When the noise gets loud, let your answers be loud and clear: Kampi ako ng katotohanan. Panig ako sa batas. Hindi puwede kung hindi tama (I am on the side of truth. I am on the side of the law. It is not permissible if it is not right),” he said.
The prosecutors are deployed to prosecution offices nationwide to strengthen the DOJ’s prosecutorial capacity, reduce caseloads, and advance the President’s directive to eliminate case backlogs and accelerate the delivery of justice. (PNA)