DOJ chief lawyer passes away

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ)’s chief lawyer, Ricardo Paras III, passed away yesterday morning.

DOJ Undersecretary Eric Balmes said they mourn the death of Paras.

“We ask officials and employees of the DOJ to pray for the eternal repose of his soul,” Balmes said in a statement.

“He served the DOJ and the Filipino people with distinction and integrity. He is an ally in our pursuit of the reform-oriented objectives of President Duterte and Justice Secretary of Justice Vitaliano Aguirre II,” Balmes added.

The DOJ expressed its condolences to the family of Paras, who died at around 5:30 a.m.

Paras’ remains were scheduled for cremation at 2 p.m. yesterday, to be followed by a wake at Chapels 8, 9 and 10 of the Heritage Park in Taguig. 

Government prosecutors remembered Paras as “well-mannered and soft-spoken but the sharpest in the DOJ toolbox.”

In April last year, Paras was tapped by Aguirre to lead the DOJ investigation into the multimillion-peso deal between the Bureau of Corrections and a private company owned by Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio “Tonyboy” Floirendo.