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‘One of DOJ’s best': State prosecutor Navera passes away at 49

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Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/news/11/24/prosecutor.jpg"/><figcaption>Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA (2nd UPDATE) - Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro &quot;JP&quot; Navera, among state counsels who handled major cases in his time, has passed away, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra confirmed Tuesday. He was 49.&quot;So very sad. He was one of our best,&quot; the justice chief said in a statement. DOJ Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento said Navera&#x27;s demise was &quot;such a big loss given that he was an excellent litigator.&quot;The cause of Navera&#x27;s death was not disclosed.Navera served in prosecution panels of several major cases. He secured the conviction for kidnapping and serious illegal detention of retired Army Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, who was found guilty of the disappearance of 2 female university students in 2006.The National Union of Peoples&#x27; Lawyers (NUPL), which acted as private prosecutor in the case, praised Navera for his cross-examination of Palparan, describing him as a &quot;principled, brilliant and quintessential professional.&quot;“He can be unforgiving and even cocky in his hard questions and grueling cross-examination. We were awed how he shattered Gen. Palparan&#x27;s testimony to smithereens on cross. It was a model even contrived moot courts in law school cannot match,” the lawyers’ group said.&quot;We owe it also to JP and his prosecution team for putting the Butcher behind bars,&quot; it added.He was also part of the team that secured a life sentence for Reynaldo Parojinog, Jr. for illegal possession of drugs, obtained a guilty verdict for the self-confessed gunman in the murder of businessman Dominic Sytin in Subic, sent an alleged Sinaloa drug cartel member behind bars for life due to drug trafficking, and pursued the state&#x27;s case against Philippine Coast Guard officers tagged in the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman at the Balintang channel, which ended in the conviction of 8.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/31/19/qc-court-sentences-parojinog-son-to-life-for-illegal-possession-of-drugs">QC court sentences Parojinog son to life for illegal possession of drugs</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/20/19/self-confessed-gunman-in-sytin-slay-gets-up-to-52-years-in-jail">Self-confessed gunman in Sytin slay gets up to 52 years in jail</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/13/19/alleged-sinaloa-cartel-member-found-guilty-of-drug-trafficking">Alleged Sinaloa cartel member found guilty of drug trafficking</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/18/19/8-coast-guard-men-found-guilty-of-killing-taiwanese-fisherman">8 Coast Guard men found guilty of killing Taiwanese fisherman </a></li></ul>He was also in the first panel of prosecutors that handled cases against those behind the Maguindanao massacre and against police officers accused in the kidnap-slay of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo. “He was working on his cases until the last ounce of strength left (of) his mind and body. His dedication to his job was extraordinary,” Guevarra said, referring to syndicated drug cases like the shabu laboratory in Virac, Catanduanes. “JPN was a conscientious worker. A week ago he still submitted work deliverables to his office. I did not know that he was sick,” Usec. Emmeline Aglipay-Villar said of Navera.<div>BATMAN AND ROBIN</div>But perhaps no other colleague knew Navera best than his immediate boss, Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon.“[W]ith the many cases we worked on together, it was like a Batman and Robin tandem,” he said in a text message.“We fought fiercely in the Oakwood mutiny case against the former (Senator) Trillanes et.al., but together we experienced frustration when they were granted amnesty; stood up and walked out together on former Secretary Agra when he wanted to dismiss the cases against Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan at the risk of losing our jobs; together we bravely went up against the Ampatuans in the Maguindanao Massacre case only to be removed unceremoniously together by former Sec. De Lima,” he added.Fadullon went on to mention the latest cases they were handling — prosecuting the killer of a prominent businessman in Olongapo where they secured a successful conviction after just 3 months of hearings, and a Bohol mayor&#x27;s slay by her husband. “All told, his competence and brilliance is without question. Others who don’t know him may dismiss him as arrogant but I guess that&#x27;s just how he is to people who he doesn&#x27;t know,” Fadullon said of Navera.“To me, he will always be my go to guy, my ever reliable partner and my Robin. We will miss him but what he has done and the lives he has touched will make his memory live on in our hearts forever,” he said.<div>FUNNY AND KIND</div>Outside the courtroom, those who knew Navera remember him for his kindness and his humor.“JP Navera was one of those who related to people as ‘walang masamang tinapay.’ He was always professional in the courtroom and, as one fortunate to know him outside the courtroom, one of the nicest--and funniest--persons working in that building along Padre Faura,” former Supreme Court spokesperson Theodore Te said in a tweet.NUPL lawyers who worked with him described him as “very amiable and self-effacing, reluctant to be in the spotlight.” “He was humorous in his own right and self-deprecating yet can throw a teasing jest at his colleagues,” the group said.<div>A FEW GOOD MEN</div>A graduate of the Ateneo Law School batch of 1997, Navera first joined a law firm specializing in litigation before joining the DOJ’s National Prosecution Service.His fellow prosecutors consider his passing a big loss to the prosecution service. To reporters covering the Justice beat, Navera was a good source, who dropped by the press office to share information on upcoming hearings and who did not take personally questions critical of the DOJ’s position on certain issues.To NUPL, he was a reminder that despite the current political climate, there are “fair” and “no-nonsense” lawyers in government.“Yes, there are still ‘a few good men’. We need more JPs. Even if only to mitigate the image of lawyers who are a disgrace to the profession and an embarrassment to society,” it said.

MANILA (UPDATE) - Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro "JP" Navera, among state counsels who handled major cases in his time, has passed away, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra confirmed Tuesday. He was 49.

MANILA (UPDATE) - Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro "JP" Navera, among state counsels who handled major cases in his time, has passed away, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra confirmed Tuesday. He was 49.

‘One of DOJ’s best': State prosecutor Navera passes away at 49

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‘One of DOJ’s best': State prosecutor Navera passes away at 49

Mike Navallo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Nov 24, 2020 12:01 PM PHT

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Updated Nov 24, 2020 08:15 PM PHT

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