PAO lawyer dismissed for demanding payment

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales at the sidelines of the 2017 Asia Women’s Summit in Pasay City on Wednesday. VINCE F. NONATO/INQUIRER PHOTO

The Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal of a lawyer from the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) in Occidental Mindoro for charging his clients.

In a statement on Thursday, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said she had ordered the dismissal from service of District Public Attorney Jennifer Garcia-Laudencia from San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.

Laudencia was found guilty of grave misconduct after the Ombudsman learned from spouses Rodolfo and Maira Abrea that Laudencia demanded payment for the preparation of their legal documents.

The Ombudsman said Laudencia demanded a total of P9,000 for the preparation of the spouses’ counter-affidavit and rejoinder.

This even though according to  Chapter 5, Title III of Book IV of the Administrative Code of 1987, “the PAO shall independently discharge its mandate to render, free of charge, legal representation, assistance, and counseling to indigent persons in criminal, civil, labor, administrative and other quasi-judicial cases.”

Moreover, Laudencia provided legal services to a certain Mike Tiu Santiago even though the he was not an indigent, thus not qualified to avail of PAO services.

“That the mere submission of an affidavit of indigency is not sufficient to establish the fact of indigency as the PAO Operations Manual requires submission of proof of income such as income tax returns, or certificate of indigency from the Department of Social Welfare and Development or the Barangay Chairman,” Ombudsman Morales said.

“(P)ublic attorneys should primarily play the role of peacemakers and must be guided by a high sense of fairness, integrity, good faith and justice, in the performance of their functions,” she added.

In case of separation from the service, the penalty is convertible to a fine equivalent to respondent’s salary for one year. CBB/rga