Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II in a press briefing in Malacañan on November 16, 2016. Albert Alcain, Malacanang Photo

MANILA - A newspaper ad on Monday praised former Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II for a "job well done" during his tenure at the Department of Justice.

In the full-page advertisement, which costs about P200,000, according to the broadsheet, the Aguirre Family of Mulanay, Quezon Province and Napeñas Family of Tingloy, Batangas, together with friends and supporters congratulated Aguirre, who they fondly call "Kuya Boy."

It listed Aguirre's accomplishments such as granting a 30-day wellness leave to all prosecutors; procuring and distributing several equipment to DOJ offices, prosecutors, state counsels, and lawyers; revising and updating of the Manual for Prosecutors and the DOJ Bail Bond Guide; reviewing and drafting of 2018 implementing rules and regulations of the Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Act; and the groundbreaking and construction of several DOJ offices across the country.

"With hard work and determination and the Almighty's guidance and providence, you have kept your promise to make the DOJ better, and for that we salute you, Kuya Boy," the note read.

"You have lived up to the Aguirre tradition of public service started by your grandfather, Vitaliano F. Aguirre I, (Municipal Vice President of Mulanay, Quezon), your father, Alfaro G. Aguirre, (former Municipal Mayor of Mulanay, Quezon), and brother, Fidel N. Aguirre, (OIC Municipal Mayor of Mulanay, Quezon)," it added.

The families also thanked President Rodrigo Duterte "for the trust and confidence he placed on you as his first Justice Secretary."

"We are not sad that stewardship has ended. Rather, we are very thankful that it happened. You have shown to all that the Aguirre name can serve and be trusted," the note said.

"Welcome back to our family! Your apos missed you! We all missed you. Mabuhay ka, Secretary Vit! Mabuhay ka, our Kuya Boy! The best!," it added.

Aguirre, Duterte's fraternity brother from their time at the San Beda Law School, stepped down from the post weeks after his department cleared suspects Kerwin Espinosa and Peter Lim, among others, of drug charges due to lack of evidence.

The two were among alleged drug kingpins named by Duterte at the start of his administration. Espinosa, in a congressional hearing, confessed to being a drug distributor in Eastern Visayas.

Aguirre was replaced by Menardo Guevarra, Duterte's senior deputy executive secretary, with marching orders to "bring back the DOJ’s dignified image."

Detained Senator Leila de Lima, Aguirre's predecessor, earlier listed several of Aguirre's "sins" as DOJ chief, including accepting alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Napoles as a provisional witness in the state's witness protection program.