178 new PAO lawyers to help deliver justice for indigents

MANILA: Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Monday welcomed the hiring of 178 new lawyers in the Public Attorney's Office (PAO), saying it will boost the services provided by the agency to indigent litigants. 'Gone are the days when some may think that access to justice in the Philippines is exclusively for the wealthy. Today, under the Bagong Pilipinas political vision, we level the playing field between the rich and the poor in terms of having access to legal services," Remulla said in a statement. Remulla thanked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for approving the creation of 178 new Public Attorney's (PA) positions across the country. The DBM has created some 56 PA 2 and 122 PA 1 positions at the PAO under the DOJ, which will require PHP336 million annual budget. "I also would like to extend my appreciation to Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman in going the extra mile to address the legal needs of our country," Remulla said. The program is part of the administr ation of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s Bagong Pilipinas campaign to ensure that no Filipino will be left behind on the nation's path to progress. 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. 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. Source: Philippines News Agency