at 364 (Breyer, J., dissenting) (decrying Court's failure to seek the views of the
Solicitor General on the foreign-relations impact of the pending execution of a foreign national).
The Administrative Code provides that the
solicitor general is "the principal law officer and legal defender of the government." Itshall also represent "the Government of the Philippines, its agencies and instrumentalities and its officials and agents in any litigation, proceeding, investigation or matter requiring the services of a lawyer.
Commenting on his appointment,
Solicitor General Michael Ellis said:
Solicitor General Jose Calida (Czar Dancel / MANILA BULLETIN)
The SC held three-day oral arguments on the issue in 2017 and subsequently directed the Office of the
Solicitor General to submit within 60 days pertinent documents which include the list of persons killed in legitimate police operations from July 1, 2016, to November 30, 2017; list of deaths under investigation from July 1, 2016, to November 30, 2017; list of Chinese and Filipino-Chinese drug lords who have been neutralized; list of drugs involved whether shabu, cocaine, marijuana, opioids, etc.; comparative tables in index crimes; statistics of internal cleansing within the police force; and drug watch lists in affected areas.
Notably, Additional
Solicitor General, appointed under Law Officers Act 1987, is the third largest law officer of the Central Government.
The Shadow
Solicitor General provides support to the Shadow Attorney General on civil litigation and advice on civil law matters and on the public interest function.
A Crown Office spokesman said: "The
Solicitor General's position on domestic abuse is well known and has been widely welcomed.