Vitaliano "Vit" Napeñas Aguirre II (; born October 16, 1946)
is a Filipino lawyer serving as a commissioner of the
National Police Commission from January 11, 2021 to June 30, 2022. He previously served as
Secretary of Justice under the
Duterte administration
Rodrigo Duterte became the 16th President of the Philippines on June 30, 2016, succeeding Benigno Aquino III. He was the first president from Mindanao, the first president to have worked in all three branches of government, and the oldest t ...
from 2016
until his resignation in 2018, and vice president and chief legal counsel of
Clark Development Corporation
The Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone (CFEZ), often shortened to Clark, refers to an area in Central Luzon, Philippines.
The CFEZ in Pampanga covers portions of the cities of Angeles and Mabalacat and portions of the town of Porac whil ...
under former President
Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...
.
He gained wide public attention in 2012 during the
impeachment trial
An impeachment trial is a trial that functions as a component of an impeachment. Several governments utilize impeachment trials as a part of their processes for impeachment, but differ as to when in the impeachment process trials take place and how ...
of Supreme Court Chief Justice
Renato Corona
Renato Tereso Antonio Coronado Corona (October 15, 1948 – April 29, 2016) was a Filipino judge who was the 23rd chief justice of the Philippines from 2010 to 2012. He served as an associate justice after being appointed by President Gloria ...
when he was cited for contempt after he was caught covering his ears while being lectured by the late Senator
Miriam Defensor Santiago
Miriam Palma Defensor-Santiago (''née'' Defensor; June 15, 1945 – September 29, 2016) was a Filipino scholar, academic, lawyer, judge, author, and stateswoman who served in all three branches of the Philippine government: judicial, executiv ...
.
Early life and education
Vitaliano Aguirre II was born and raised in
Mulanay
Mulanay, officially the Municipality of Mulanay ( tgl, Bayan ng Mulanay), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 55,576 people.
This place is situated on the Bon ...
,
Quezon
Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon ( tl, Lalawigan ng Quezon), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon Regions of the Philippines, region on Luzon. Kalilayan was the first known name of th ...
to Alfaro G. Aguirre and Maria Napeñas. His father was a mayor of the town who also served as
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
chairman for almost 40 years.
The eldest of nine children, he attended the Mulanay Elementary School and graduated as
valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution.
The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...
in 1959. His family then moved to
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
where he received his high school and college education. He was a full scholar at
San Beda College
es, Universidad de San Beda
, image = San Beda University seal.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = University Seal
, latin_name = Universitas Sancti Bedæ
, former_names ...
, graduating ''
magna cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...
'' with a Bachelor of Arts in 1967.
He then pursued legal studies at
San Beda College of Law
San Beda College of Law is the law school college under the San Beda University, a private, Roman Catholic university run by the Benedictine monks in the Philippines.Directory of Higher Education Institutions, Commission on Higher Education, 2006 ...
, where he and
Rodrigo Duterte
Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...
would become classmates and fraternity brothers in
Lex Talionis Fraternitas
''Lex Talionis Fraternitas, Inc. Sodalitas Ducum Futurorum'' is an exclusive fraternal organization of Filipino jurists, legal practitioners, and law students founded on September 28, 1969, at the San Beda College of Law. A chapter in the Ateneo ...
.
He graduated from law school as valedictorian and ''cum laude'' in 1971, and passed the bar examination the same year.
As a young lawyer, he joined young activists who fought the
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
dictatorship
A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship are ...
. He went into hiding for five years after the Marcos dictatorship charged him for inciting to sedition until the case against him was dropped. In later years, he would support the Marcos family in politics due to his ties with Rodrigo Duterte.
Career
He established a law firm in
Makati
Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines.
Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...
with partners
Rodolfo Robles
Rodolfo Robles (1878–1939) was a Guatemalan physician and philanthropist. In 1915, he was the first to describe onchocerciasis in Latin America, which was known and widespread on the African continent and first described in 1890 by Sir Patr ...
,
Sixto Brillantes
Sixto Serrano Brillantes Jr. (, August 14, 1939August 11, 2020) was a Filipino election lawyer who was the chairman of the Commission on Elections from 2011 to 2015. He was appointed by President Benigno Aquino III on January 16, 2011 to serve ...
, Jose Ricafrente,
Antonio Nachura
Antonio Eduardo Bermejo Nachura (June 13, 1941 – March 13, 2022) was a Filipino jurist who was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He took his oath of office as Associate Justice on February 7, 2007, and occupied the ...
and Antonio San Vicente. He served as the lead counsel of
Hubert Webb in the 1995
Vizconde murders case and as deputy counsel of the Feliciano Commission's fact-finding investigation of the 2003
Oakwood mutiny
On July 23, 2003, a failed coup d'etat, now known as the Oakwood mutiny, was staged by a group of about 300 armed defectors from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) led by Army Capt. Gerardo Gam ...
. He is a managing partner at Aguirre & Aguirre Law Office, and taught law at the
Arellano University
Arellano University (AU) is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian university located in Manila, the Philippines. It was founded in 1938 as a law school by Florentino Cayco Sr., the first Filipino Undersecretary of Public Instruction. The univ ...
Law Foundation.
Aguirre supported the 2010 presidential campaign of President
Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...
.
During the impeachment trial of Renato Corona, he was tapped as one of several private prosecutors tasked to secure the Chief Justice's conviction.
In February 2012, during the
Impeachment of Renato Corona
Renato Corona, the 23rd chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, was impeached on December 12, 2011. Corona was the third official, after former President Joseph Estrada in 2000 and Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in March 2011, ...
where he was a counsel, Aguirre was cited for
contempt
Contempt is a pattern of attitudes and behaviour, often towards an individual or a group, but sometimes towards an ideology, which has the characteristics of disgust and anger.
The word originated in 1393 in Old French contempt, contemps, ...
after a disrespectful gesture and argument towards the respected senator-judge
Miriam Defensor Santiago
Miriam Palma Defensor-Santiago (''née'' Defensor; June 15, 1945 – September 29, 2016) was a Filipino scholar, academic, lawyer, judge, author, and stateswoman who served in all three branches of the Philippine government: judicial, executiv ...
, who was the most vocal on the court trial proceedings. In March 2013, President Aquino appointed Aguirre as vice president for Legal Affairs of the government-owned Clark Development Corporation.
Aguirre was also a lawyer for then Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. He served as the latter's chief legal counsel on the cases seeking to disqualify Duterte during the
2016 presidential campaign, as well as on cases linking the President to the
Davao death squads. He likewise represented a policeman who owned a quarry site turned into a firing range where remains of supposed victims of these alleged death squads were believed to have been buried. In July 2016, following the victory of Duterte for the Philippine presidency, Aguirre was appointed as the new secretary of the Department of Justice.
On July 26, 2016,
Mulanay
Mulanay, officially the Municipality of Mulanay ( tgl, Bayan ng Mulanay), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 55,576 people.
This place is situated on the Bon ...
plantation farmers accused Aguirre that he was asking and "threatening" them to pay rent in a land they rightfully own. The resident farmers who have been living and farming for generations in the 200-hectare Hacienda Tulungan in Brgy. Sta. Rosa claimed that the land belongs to them under the government's Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
On November 27, 2016, two commissioners of the Bureau of Immigration, an attached agency to Aguirre's department, were embroiled in an extortion controversy. Commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles were accused of extorting P50 million from gaming tycoon Jack Lam in exchange of release of 1,316 Chinese employees of Fontana Leisure Parks and Casino. Aguirre denied knowledge of the alleged exchange between the immigration commissioners and the tycoon, even after he personally met Jack Lam.
Aguirre sparked controversy after he pushed for state prosecutors, which he controls, to file cases against incumbent senator
Leila de Lima, which led to de Lima's arrest on February 24, 2017. Afterwards, in a two-page motion, prosecutors from the Department of Justice (DOJ), which Aguirre headed, asked the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (MCRTC) Branch 204 to consolidate and handle the three cases against the senator de Lima. Judge Juanita Guerrero, presiding judge of Branch 204, was the same judge who ordered de Lima's arrest.
On June 8, 2017, Aguirre downgraded from murder to homicide the charges filed against CIDG members involved in the killing of Albuera, Leyte mayor Rolando Espinosa in 2016, sparking public outrage. CIDG Region 8 police chief Supt. Marvin Marcos, along with 18 others, were the main suspects of the killings.
During the
2017 Marawi Crisis, Aguirre tagged various opposition senators, including
Bam Aquino
Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aguirre Aquino IV (, born May 7, 1977) is a Filipino politician and social entrepreneur who served as a Senator of the Philippines from 2013 to 2019. He is a member of the prominent Aquino family in the Philippines.
Pre-p ...
and
Antonio Trillanes, along with others as masterminds of the siege, an accusation that would later be proved as fabrications. Aguirre claimed that the senators flew to Marawi and met with members of two influential local political clans a few days before the May 23 siege. Aguirre showed to the media a photo of the supposed meeting. However, Aguirre was apparently unaware that the photo of the alleged meeting in Marawi was posted on a Facebook fan page created by the President's supporters on May 13, or more than a week before terrorists mounted the attack. This accusation drew flak from the public especially those he named due to the lack of credibility of his claims and the fact that he picked the image which was first shared and posted on several pro-Duterte blogs and known sources of fake news, including ''dugongmaharlika.com'' and ''allthingspinoy.com.'' After the incident, Aguirre was labelled as the ''King of the Fake News'' from the citizens and other lawmakers. Aguirre was criticized for the act saying that Aguirre himself "willingly" amplified fake news "like a
troll
A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human bei ...
" against political opponents.
In September 2017, senator
Risa Hontiveros
Ana Theresia Navarro Hontiveros-Baraquel (; born February 24, 1966) is a Filipino politician, community leader, and journalist who has been serving as a senator of the Philippines since 2016. She previously served as a party-list representa ...
caught justice secretary Aguirre drafting fabricated charges against her through text messages during a hearing on the deaths of minors caused by the
Philippine Drug War
The Philippine drug war, known as the War on Drugs, is the intensified anti-drug campaign of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, who served office from June 30, 2016 to June 30, 2022. The campaign reduced drug proliferation in th ...
, notably the
brutal murder of Kian delos Santos. Aguirre's text messages instructed former Negros Oriental representative Jacinto Paras, a member of controversial group VACC, to 'expedite' cases against Hontiveros, a sitting senator who was seeking justice for the minors killed. The same tactic was used by Aguirre against senator
Leila de Lima, which led to de Lima's arrest a few months past. Despite being caught and the evidences presented in halls of Senate, Aguirre still filed cases against Hontiveros in October.
On November 22, 2017, Aguirre cleared former commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, a government ally, and other former officials of the Bureau of Customs in the charges (drug and criminal) filed against them by the country's drug agency over the smuggling of a whopping P6.4-billion shabu shipment last May, erupting into a controversy.
On March 13, 2018, Aguirre cleared various drug offenders, including Cebu-based businessman Peter Lim, ''kumpare'' and campaign supporter of President Duterte. Lim was tagged by Kerwin Espinosa, a self-confessed drug offender who was also cleared by Aguirre on the same day. Other offenders who were cleared included Peter Co, Max Miro, Ruel Malindangan, Jun Pepito and Lovely Adam Impal as well as 12 other unnamed persons.
On March 16, 2018, Aguirre placed Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged brains behind the pork barrel scam, under provisional government protection, re-opening the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam under former president Benigno Aquino III. The complaint to re-open the case was filed by staunch Duterte supporter and ally Greco Belgica.
On March 27, 2018, Aguirre tagged
Cebu
Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...
major
Tomas Osmeña
Tomas dela Rama Osmeña (; born July 26, 1948), known as Tommy Osmeña, is a Filipino politician who served as the Mayor of Cebu City thrice: first from 1987 to 1995, again from 2001 to 2010, and lastly from 2016 to 2019. He also served as Congr ...
, who had a conflict with president Duterte, as a drug lord protector. However, the Philippine National Police has disapproved the tagging as there were no concrete evidences found.
After continuous protests for his resignation, Aguirre resigned from his post on April 5, 2018. His resignation was accepted by president
Rodrigo Duterte
Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...
. Majority of politicians, including
Grace Poe
Mary Grace Natividad Sonora Poe-Llamanzares (baptized September 3, 1968) is a Filipino politician, businesswoman, educator, and philanthropist serving as a senator since 2013. She was the chairperson of the Movie and Television Review and Class ...
and
Sonny Angara
Sonny is a common nickname and occasional given name. Often it can be a derivative of the English word "Son", a name derived from the Ancient Germanic element *sunn meaning "sun", a nickname derived from the Italian name Salvatore (especially in N ...
, have pointed out that his resignation should not be used as a shield from the injustices he made when he was justice secretary. Aguirre later retaliated, stating that he left the Department of Justice with a 'better image', to which majority of politicians and fact-checking organizations do not agree with. On the same day, the people of
Mulanay
Mulanay, officially the Municipality of Mulanay ( tgl, Bayan ng Mulanay), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 55,576 people.
This place is situated on the Bon ...
, Aguirre's hometown, slammed him for "bringing
shame
Shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion often associated with negative self-evaluation; motivation to quit; and feelings of pain, exposure, distrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness.
Definition
Shame is a discrete, basic emotion, d ...
" to the town.
On April 6, 2018, the president appointed
Menardo Guevarra as the new justice secretary.
Speculations of Aguirre gunning for a Senate seat was widespread since House Speaker Alvarez stated that he was asking President Duterte to include Aguirre in his party's senatorial slate, however, Aguirre did not file his candidacy for the 2019 elections after being ranked at the bottom of a senatorial survey.
On January 11, 2021, Duterte appointed Aguirre as a commissioner of the
National Police Commission, representing the private sector.
Controversies
Aguirre, during his lead as Secretary of Justice has faced many controversies, some of which are:
* He was instrumental for the arrest and prosecution of opposition senator
Leila de Lima due to her allegedly coddling of drug activities inside New Bilibid Prison as former DOJ secretary.
* He allegedly requested to expedite cases against senator
Risa Hontiveros
Ana Theresia Navarro Hontiveros-Baraquel (; born February 24, 1966) is a Filipino politician, community leader, and journalist who has been serving as a senator of the Philippines since 2016. She previously served as a party-list representa ...
.
* The alleged false tagging of senators
Bam Aquino
Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aguirre Aquino IV (, born May 7, 1977) is a Filipino politician and social entrepreneur who served as a Senator of the Philippines from 2013 to 2019. He is a member of the prominent Aquino family in the Philippines.
Pre-p ...
and
Antonio Trillanes to the
Marawi siege
The siege of Marawi ( fil, Pagkubkob sa Marawi), also known as the Marawi crisis (), and the Battle of Marawi (), was a five-month-long armed conflict in Marawi, Philippines, that started on May 23, 2017, between Philippine government security ...
which he eventually denied.
* Aguirre allegedly threatened
Mulanay
Mulanay, officially the Municipality of Mulanay ( tgl, Bayan ng Mulanay), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 55,576 people.
This place is situated on the Bon ...
plantation farmers to pay him "rent" for the land that the farmers claimed as theirs under the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program
The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, more commonly known as CARP, is an agrarian reform law of the Philippines whose legal basis is the Republic Act No. 6657, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL). It is the redistri ...
(CARP). Aguirre alleged that the farmers were staying on the plantation beyond the timeframe prescribed by the CARP.
* The amendment of the cases of the policemen allegedly involved in the Espinosa slay from murder to homicide.
* Clearance of BOC Commissioner
Nicanor Faeldon
Nicanor Escalona Faeldon (; born July 29, 1965) is a Filipino former Marine who served as the Director-General of the Bureau of Corrections under the Duterte administration from November 21, 2018, until he was fired in September 2019. He se ...
in the P6.4-billion shabu shipment case which was under his watch.
* DOJ prosecutors dropped the charges on Peter Lim and self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa due to alleged weak evidence by "inconsistencies of the lone witness" former Drug "distributor" Marcelo Adorco.
CIDG then overturned this and filed a case against Peter Lim. Makati court ordered for his arrest and prosecution and the government offered a P500,000 bounty for his capture.
* The re-investigation of the PDAF case of 2013 in which he intended to put alleged Pork Barrel mastermind
Janet Lim-Napoles
Janet Lim-Napoles (born Janet Luy Lim; January 15, 1964) is a Filipina businesswoman who is believed to have masterminded the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) Scam. She was convicted of plunder for her involvement in the PDAF Scam a ...
as a state witness.
* He was slammed by Mayor Ojeda of his hometown of
Mulanay
Mulanay, officially the Municipality of Mulanay ( tgl, Bayan ng Mulanay), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 55,576 people.
This place is situated on the Bon ...
and accused him of "bringing shame to the town".
Ojedas are political rival of Aguirres in the said town.
* Aguirre is being "investigated" by the Hague-based
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals ...
, which launched a "preliminary examination" into allegations of "
crimes against humanity
Crimes against humanity are widespread or systemic acts committed by or on behalf of a ''de facto'' authority, usually a state, that grossly violate human rights. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity do not have to take place within the ...
" allegedly committed by President Rodrigo Duterte in the midst of Philippine
war on drugs
The war on drugs is a Globalization, global campaign, led by the United States federal government, of prohibition of drugs, drug prohibition, military aid, and military intervention, with the aim of reducing the illegal drug trade in the Unite ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aguirre, Vitaliano ii
1946 births
20th-century Filipino lawyers
Living people
Secretaries of Justice of the Philippines
People from Quezon
San Beda University alumni
Benigno Aquino III administration personnel
Duterte administration cabinet members
21st-century Filipino lawyers