MANILA, Philippines — A total of 178 new public attorney positions are created under a new spending scheme, which will cost the government P336 million annually, the Department of Budget and Management said Thursday.
The 178 job positions are divided into 56 PA II and 122 PA I posts, and they will serve at the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) in the Department of Justice.
“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,” said DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman in a statement.
The DBM reasoned that there is a shortage of PAs relative to the number of courts across the country. In 2022, the PAO handled 850,753 cases and 900,079 clients.
The Commission of Audit puts the number of PAO lawyers at 2,427 as of 2021, with 1,014 non-lawyers as support personnel.
Under Republic Act 9406, the PAO is the government’s principal law office to extend free legal services to indigent people.
“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,” Pangandaman said.
The Supreme Court’s list of lawyers as of January 2024 shows there are at least 92,000 lawyers in the Philippines.
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