MANILA, Philippines — Those who agree that it is about time for Aguirre to be fired also clamored for other government officials to be given the boot out of President Duterte’s cabinet.
Some view Aguirre’s departure as a welcome development following the widely-criticized DOJ resolution last month that recommended the dropping of charges against high profile drug suspects Peter Lim and Kerwin Espinosa, the latter of whom had already admitted to involvement in the drug trade.
Goodbye! Don’t cry. We won’t. https://t.co/yMYWCXLbul
— Miss Maggie (@MiaMagdalena) April 3, 2018
For some, the rumored axing comes from President Rodrigo Duterte’s disdain for bad press. A good chunk of the public vitriol following the controversial DOJ resolution was flung at the head of state himself.
Aguirre was a classmate of Duterte in the San Beda College of Law. Both are members of the Lex Talionis Fraternity.
Aguirre didn’t do a good enough job of keeping all the approved hanky panky under wraps. For all his ‘tapang’, Digong really does hate bad press. Especially if it’s true. ? https://t.co/gdf63TcEfw
— Nuelle ? (@nuelleduterte) April 3, 2018
Hmm I kinda don’t want him to be fired because I want him to make more mistakes. Aguirre is doing an excellent job showing us how incompetent this government is. https://t.co/jKBfVcr774
— Daughter of Mindanao (@tessgarcia) April 4, 2018
Some Filipinos also took the opportunity to air out their desire to see the removal of other polarizing cabinet members, particularly three from the President Communication Operations Office: secretary Martin Andanar, undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, and assistant secretary Margaux “Mocha” Uson.
When he does, hope he fires Aguirre, I would be happiest if he does the same to Uson et al #FireMocha
— Merlie (@Yoyamomi) April 4, 2018
but i will laugh A LOT if aguirre gets fired but andanar and mocha and badoy are allowed to stay on
hahahaha
— IMPEACH DUTERTE (@xpeanutgalleryx) April 4, 2018
Not everyone convinced
Despite some being pleased with the possibility of seeing Aguirre out of the cabinet, others think that the justice secretary’s removal is a calculated move by a higher power.
Some have also expressed their regret and shown empathy for the embattled Aguirre.
As of this writing, the Palace has announced that Aguirre has yet to send any resignation letter. It has also claimed that same for Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III, who has also figured in Wednesday morning’s streak of reports.
A petition calling for Aguirre’s resignation was initiated last year on Change.org, an online platform that allows users to start signature campaigns. The petition, authored by an organization called ‘Youth Resist has close to 20,000 signatures. A link to the ongoing petition was circulated anew in social media following the DOJ’s series of controversial moves last month.
Philippines: Petition for the Immediate Resignation of DOJ Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre – Sign the Petition! https://t.co/olsp8mhDeg via @ChangePilipinas
— Milbz Padayao (@Bertskie) April 2, 2018
