DOJ to hire 500 new prosecutors to ease backlog of cases

Department of Justice. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is looking at hiring at least 500 prosecutors who will be deployed nationwide as part of its measure to address the backlog of cases.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Friday said he will also recall some prosecutors who have requested that they be assigned to a particular city or province.

Aguirre has inherited over 10,000 backlog of cases. Former Justice Secretary Emmanuel Caparas, who headed the DOJ for five months, said they have managed to reduce it by 10 percent.

“We are going to recall some prosecutors that are supposed to be assigned here [at DOJ]. They made a request that they be assigned to some city or provinces to the extent that the number of prosecutors here ay nababawasan nang malaki (has dramatically decreased),” Aguirre told reporters.

He added that only 42 percent vacancies at the National Prosecution Service (NPS) have been filled up.

“Siguro (Perhaps) we need at least 500 nationwide and we are going to hire,” he said, adding that the government has a budget to hire new prosecutors.

Aguirre added that they will also hire trainees at the DOJ.

“I think they can help us in the declogging of cases,” he added. RAM/rga

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