The Public Attorney’s Office (PAO). INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has approved the creation of 178 new Public Attorney (PA) positions across the country to improve access to justice and the delivery of legal services to the people.
Some 56 PA II and 122 PA I positions have been created at the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) under the Department of Justice, which will require PHP336 million annually, the DBM said in a news release.
“These additional Public Attorney positions will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the PAO in delivering legal services to the public, ensuring that every Filipino, regardless of their economic status, has access to justice and representation they deserve,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said.
“We are not only improving our legal system but also touching the lives of countless individuals who rely on these services for hope and fairness,” she said.
Section 3 of Republic Act 9406 mandates the PAO to render free legal representation, assistance, and counseling to indigent individuals in criminal, civil, labor, administrative, and other quasi-judicial cases.
The additional lawyer positions will enable the PAO to better manage the increasing demands for legal representation and services in the country, the DBM said.
Based on PAO data, the agency handled 787,124 cases and assisted 849,914 clients in 2021.
In 2022, these numbers rose to 850,753 cases and 900,079 clients.
The new PA positions will be lodged under the district offices of the PAO by region, as proposed by the PAO, to provide flexibility to the agency head in their deployment to the different cities and municipalities, taking into consideration the workload and volume of cases being handled by the offices concerned.
Among others, public attorneys represent indigent litigants in various legal cases, conduct research, prepare legal documents, appear in trials and hearings, and engage in legal outreach activities such as inquests, jail visitations, and barangay legal outreach initiatives.
The move, according to the DBM, will ensure that PAO can fully comply with the prescribed ratio of public attorneys to organized court salas, enhancing its capacity to serve the legal needs of indigent Filipinos.