MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has named University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law Dean Darlene Marie Berberabe as the new Solicitor General, replacing Menardo Guevarra. The Palace confirmed the appointment on Thursday, following Berberabe’s oath-taking earlier in the day.

Photos released by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) showed President Marcos presiding over the ceremony. A PCO social media post read, “President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the oath of office of Atty. Darlene Marie Berberabe as the new Solicitor General.”

Berberabe was elected UP Law dean in 2023. Prior to that, she served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Pag-IBIG Fund, her most recent known government position.

An accomplished academic, Berberabe earned her bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from UP in 1995, graduating summa cum laude and class valedictorian. She then obtained her law degree from UP Law in 1999, graduating salutatorian.

Her appointment as Solicitor General follows her recent interview by the Judicial and Bar Council, where she was considered a contender to replace Supreme Court Associate Justice Mario Lopez, who is set to retire on June 4, 2025.

The departure of former Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra follows his controversial stance on representing government agencies in Supreme Court petitions related to actions by officials that led to former President Duterte’s arrest. Guevarra had maintained that the International Criminal Court (ICC) lacked jurisdiction over the Philippines, citing the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2019.