MANILA - Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has worn many hats in her storied career: election lawyer, Commission on Human Rights chairperson and now Secretary of Justice. Add to that list: the role of proud mother. In an interview with ANC's PIPOL, De Lima admits she is the master of the house after separating from her husband for more than 10 years. Her previous partner has since remarried. De Lima said she has no intention of remarrying even though she is seeing someone. "Our marriage has been officially annulled so now I am legally single by judicial decree. I committed to myself that I won't remarry. I don't know. I just don't want. I guess because the kind of life that I have, stressful life, it's an understatement. It's a stressful daily life with all the schedules. I feel I would not be doing justice to my partner if he will be brought into relationship," he said. De Lima said President Aquino has been asking her the identity of her current partner. She said she told the President: "May I invoke my right to privacy." She said Aquino merely said: "Okay, I am not going to force you but you can say it anytime if you want to." The country's justice chief said she likes to buy her own groceries and going to the wet market, which she describes as her "therapy." She also cooks a mean "laing", being a Bicolana. De Lima has a soft spot for her pet Labradors. How she acquired the dogs betrays the toughness within. "It started with Kirby. I was never a dog lover noon because my parents did not have pets. I overheard someone complaining about his dog, that he was about to shoot that dog because he was so wild, that he cannot be contained. He would fight other dogs and did not want to be tamed. He did not want to be put in cages and tied. Wala na raw siyang ibang recourse but just to shoot him because no one else would want him. I don't know what got into me. I just thought it would be cruel to shoot that dog and I got that dog. True enough, he was so wild. The first two weeks, we could not sleep because he kept on barking and barking and no one dared to touch him. Unti-unti kong tiname. I discovered he is such a free spirit, he really did not want his freedom restricted. He did not want to be put in a cage or even with kadena. So I just let him. Pinakawalan ko siya dun lang sa may garahe. Dun lang and we started adjusting to him." ANC PIPOL, January 7, 2013