BY JOMAR CANLAS Reporter

Wanted: New chief state prosecutor.

The vacancy is made possible by the retirement today of Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño of the Department of Justice (DOJ) after 35 years in government service, including 13 years as chief state prosecutor. He turns 65, the mandatory retirement age for state workers.

Starting as Batangas prosecutor, he went on to become state prosecutor and assistant chief state prosecutor.

Zuño’s career is highlighted by celebrated convictions and prosecutions of the biggest criminals in the country.

He belonged to the Justice department prosecution team that convicted former President Joseph Estrada of plunder at the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan on September 12, 2007.

Zuno pushed for the prosecution and conviction of Mayor Antonio Sanchez of Calauan town, Laguna province, for rape and murder.

He led another DOJ prosecution team in convicting Hubert Webb, a son of then Sen. Freddie Webb, along with several other accused from influential families in the Vizconde massacre.

Under Zuno’s leadership, Rep. Romeo Jalosjos of Zamboanga del Norte was convicted of statutory rape. Jalosjos’ victim was an 11-year-old girl.

As chief state prosecutor and concurrent head of the National Prosecution Service (NPS), which is composed of about 2,000 prosecutors nationwide, he approves the conduct of preliminary investigations.

Zuño, apparently would not retire “quietly.” Possibly the biggest achievements of his career was the recent prosecution of Sen. Panfilo Lacson for allegedly masterminding the double murder of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and Dacer’s driver Emmanuel Corbito.

The chief state prosecutor also pushed for the prosecution of those behind Maguindanao massacre, whose primary accused were members of the feared Ampatuan clan who allegedly carried out the mass killing of 57 civilians, 30 of them journalists.

Zuño told The Manila Times that he was leaving office with mixed emotions. According to him, he will miss his stay at the Justice department but at the same time felt that it was time for him to go back to civilian life and enjoy his family.

“This is a tough job. I think I have served a full life in the Department of Justice despite the series of death threats and criticisms,” he said.

The names of several possible successors to Zuño have been floated, they are: Justice Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor, also the chairman of Task Force Against Extra-Judicial Killings and the head of Task Force Against Terrorism. He was also a former undersecretary of the Department of National Defense; Assistant Chief State Prosecutor Severino Gana, the most senior assistant chief state prosecutor, headed preliminary investigation of the killers of former Government Corporate Counsel Jun Valerio, and Quezon City Prosecutor Claro Arellano, the founding head and first president of the City Prosecutors Association of the Philippines and formerly the program director of the Witness Protection Program of the department.

Currently, there are four other assistant chief state prosecutors of the Justice department—Miguel Gudio, Pedrito Rances, Leah Tanodra Armamento and Richard Anthony Fadullon.

Other names cropping up on the list of possible Zuño successor are those of Olongapo Chief Prosecutor Emilie Fe de los Santos, who convicted of US soldier Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith of rape; Muntinlupa City Prosecutor Ed Togonon, also the president of the National Prosecutors League of the Philippines; and lawyer Rolando Faller, currently the chief of staff of acting Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera.

Zuño’s advice to his successor? Do your job in the name of government service. Give justice to everyone for you cannot please everybody in making a ruling.

“You cannot please everybody. May magagalit may matutuwa sa desisyon mo. [Some will get mad, some will be pleased]. But at the end of the day, it is only God who will judge us,” he also told The Times.