Menardo I. Guevarra: Solicited advice from the solicitor general
Solicitor General Menardo “Boy” Ilasco Guevarra’s life, moral values and principles are truly inspiring. His rise to success was easy but with hard work and dedication he has reached the top, keeping his name and reputation untarnished. When asked for his advice to those who see him as their role model, his reply was, “There’s only one (piece of) advice I can give to law students: study hard. Every subject you learn in school is a building block of your future career. Remember that a lawyer provides solutions to the problems of other people. You cannot be a good counselor if your grasp of the law is as tenuous as a building without steel.”
Solgen Guevarra graduated salutatorian of his grade school class at St. Mary’s College in 1966 and valedictorian of his high school class at the Meycauayan College in Bulacan in 1970. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree (Magna Cum Laude) from the Ateneo de Manila in 1974, with Political Science as his field of concentration. He was a working student, having been recruited by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and was sent on scholarship to the University of the Philippines for graduate studies in Economics. He worked as staff economist at NEDA until 1983 then transferred to the Central Bank’s Department of Economic Research to work as bank economist.
While working full-time he took up law in the evening at the Ateneo School of Law in Makati. He finished the course (Second Honors) in 1985 and placed second in the bar examinations the same year. Guevarra then joined the technical staff of the 1986 Constitutional Commission, which drafted the 1987 Philippine Constitution, and then started his private law practice as an associate at the Ponce Enrile (PECABAR) Law Offices.
In 1990, he and several other lawyers decided to form a new partnership. Since then, Guevarra has taken on and supervised more than a thousand cases involving contract disputes, family and property relations, intra-corporate controversies, tax appeals, criminal actions, and legal representation in regulatory agencies. He has had a very extensive trial and appellate practice, and appeared in oral arguments before the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.
In September 2010, Guevarra was appointed by President Benigno Aquino III as a member of the Philippine Truth Commission. Then in May 2015, he was appointed as Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs at the Office of the President. In February 2016, he was appointed Commissioner of the newly established anti-trust agency, the Philippine Competition Commission.
When Rodrigo Roa Duterte was elected President, he appointed Guevarra as Senior Deputy Executive Secretary. Then in April 2018, he was appointed Secretary of Justice and served as such until June 2022.
Upon Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s election to the presidency, Guevarra was appointed Solicitor General.
Guevarra immensely enjoys his job as head of the biggest and most prestigious law firm in the country, which performs the dual role of “Defender of the Republic and the Tribune of the People.”
The Solgen credits his wife Cynthia and their three children, John Maynard, Oliver, Richard and Lester as his inspiration. “It was my family that inspired me to work really hard. The four years I spent in law school while working full time and raising a family were the toughest years of my life. But I survived, because I dedicated all my effort for the betterment of my family, who morally supported me all the way.”
Now that all their children have grown up and are established themselves, he has now dedicated his life to a single purpose: to serve our country. “ Our country continues to struggle to this day; it needs all the support that the citizenry can provide, for the benefit not only of the present generation but more so for their children and grandchildren,” he says.
Guevarra wishes to dedicate the remaining productive years of his life to serving in government. Should this not be possible he will go back to his first love, which is teaching law.
When I asked him how he wants to be remembered, he said, “I want to be remembered as a public officer who lived by the oath he swore to, who acted professionally in every matter brought before him and who remained compassionate and sensitive to the needs of other people. I hope that the standard I have set for myself would serve as an inspiration to those who have lived and worked with me.”
Read on as he shares with us his guiding principles in life.
1. Family first. The family is the innermost core of one’s strength and joy in life.
2. Life becomes more meaningful when one transcends oneself and becomes one for others. Transcending oneself is being less focused on one’s personal interests and being more sensitive to the needs of others. I believe that we only need so much to live decently; anything in excess of our needs should be shared with those who have less (by sponsoring civic groups, donating to charity, giving out scholarships, lending without expecting to be paid, etc.)
3. Give freely and cheerfully to the needy; everything given out of love or compassion comes back a hundredfold. The two charities that I usually support are Mt. Carmel Monastery and Ateneo’s scholars-for-scholars foundation.
4. Excel quietly without being competitive.
5. Make each task an offering to God.
6. Everything we think, say, and do should reflect our Christian spirit. My first prayer every day: “Lord, guide me in everything I think, I say, and do today.” For the past 40 years, I have been reading the Holy Bible every night without fail, anywhere I am. Consciously applying its teachings in my daily life enables me to do my work with both a temporal and spiritual dimension. Rejoicing with those who succeed instead of envying them, not being wise in your own opinion, associating with even the lowly, and rejecting temptations at the earliest opportunity are good examples.
7. Love and honor the country of your birth at all times.
8. Humility and thankfulness are the finest virtues.
9. Patience is the measure of one’s maturity.
10. To the extent possible, live peaceably with all.
(We welcome your suggestions and comments. Please e-mail me at [email protected]. Follow me on Instagram @monsromulo.)
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