MANILA, Philippines—The Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) favorable disposition rate in cases handled in 2022 has increased by 15 percent compared to 2021.
In its accomplishment report, the favorable disposition of cases increased from 248, 963 in 2021 to 288,752 in 2022, 39,789 cases more.
“This represents a 15.98 percent increase in the number of favorable dispositions for the year 2022. Perhaps, this is owed to the gradual loosening of social distancing restrictions because of improving conditions, which allowed the members of the justice sector, including PAO, to perform their duties more effectively and efficiently,” read PAO’s report, which was made public Wednesday.
PAO is an attached agency of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The government’s principal law office is mandated to extend free legal assistance to indigent persons and other qualified clients in criminal, civil, labor, administrative, and other quasi-judicial cases.
It is tasked to represent the indigent members of society, specifically those that live below the poverty threshold.
PAO said 2022 saw a significant increase in favorable dispositions in the cases it handled.
In criminal cases alone, the caseload has increased from 256,927 in 2021 to 305,396 in 2022. Of the 305,396 terminated cases, 263,335, or a rate of 86.23 percent, led to favorable decisions for their clients.
For civil cases, out of 9,015 terminated cases, 6,289 or 69.76 percent have been decided in favor of their clients, while for administrative cases, of the 2,642 closed cases, 1,711 or 64.76 percent received favorable rulings for their clients.
PAO also had 81.98 percent winning labor cases, or 4,789 out of 5,842 terminated cases.
“Overall, the PAO achieved 82.69 percent favorable disposition rate for the cases it handled for the calendar year 2022…this feat surpassed the target favorable disposition rate of 82.57 percent under the General Appropriations Act of 2022,” read the report.
PAO has 17 regional offices, 339 district offices, five sub-district offices, and two Regional Special and Appealed Cases Units in Cagayan de Oro City and Cebu City, with two other satellite offices.
It has a total of 2,400 public attorneys actively handling criminal, civil, labor, administrative, and other quasi-judicial cases nationwide.
Aside from representing marginalized litigants, PAO also has been pushing for reforms to benefit the poor and decongest detention facilities.
PAO was the one that pushed for plea bargaining in small-time drug cases when it asked to declare as unconstitutional Section 23 of the Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 that prohibits plea bargaining causing congestion in prison and loss of billions on the part of the government.
PAO went to the Supreme Court after Legazpi City Regional Trial Court Branch 3 Judge Frank E. Lobrigo denied the request of Salvador A. Estipona Jr. to enter into a plea bargaining agreement, noting that the laws prohibit it.
Estipona was charged with violating the Dangerous Drugs Act for possessing one sachet or 0.084 grams of shabu.
The SC granted the petition, and in 2018, it issued a framework for plea bargaining in drug cases.
“Insinuations that we are forcing the accused to plead guilty to a case is irresponsible,” Acosta said, adding that if he has a basis on his statement, he should inform the PAO office to make the public lawyer liable.