Public trust in PAO increases

THE Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) said its defenders handled 756,497 cases in the first three quarters of 2024.

It added that the number could balloon to surpass its 2023 record of 833,279 once the cases resolved for the last quarter have been accounted for.

Mandated to provide legal aid to indigents, the PAO has registered an impressive 83.23 percent disposition rate in criminal cases in 2024.

Its partnership with the Department of Justice and its attached agency, the Parole and Probation Administration, has resulted in the exoneration and release of 66,794 inmates this year.

“Among the biggest barriers to accessing justice, however, is the people’s knowledge and understanding, or the lack thereof, of their legal rights — it reduces certainty and confidence in the legal system, which ultimately erodes the rule of law,” said PAO chief Persida Rueda-Acosta, the agency’s head for over 23 years.

For increased accessibility, the PAO has launched its online program #PALA (Persida Acosta’s Legal Advice) via Facebook and other social media platforms.

“This initiative effectively provides better access to justice at the awareness level, which will ultimately empower every individual to protect their rights and seek resources within the formal justice system,” said Rueda-Acosta, who started her tenure during the term of then-president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Rueda-Acosta said she was proud of the agency’s clean record.

“We never have mis-allowances or suspensions. It’s now more than 23 years that PAO has been spending its budget wisely and accordingly. That is transparency and that includes how PAO spends its budget properly,” she said, adding she would not tolerate abuse of power.

She admitted that several erring public attorneys have been dismissed.

“Of course, they were dismissed after due process was accorded to them. But I am quick to give rewards, even cash, as long as there are savings and allocations to the PAO personnel for doing their job well,” Rueda-Acosta said.

Deputy Chief Public Attorney and Forensics Laboratory Division Director Erwin Erfe said the PAO plans to advocate more accessible and inclusive services for the coming year.

“For this purpose, public attorneys are required to regularly conduct jail visitation activities to ensure that persons deprived of liberty are duly represented and their rights are fully protected. At the helm of this project is no less than the chief public attorney, who leads by example, regularly visiting penal colonies all over the country,” Erfe added.

Deputy Chief Public Attorney Ana-Lisa Soriano said training programs were regularly conducted to enhance the capability, knowledge and professional skills of the PAO’s workforce.

PAO has a workforce of 2,676 public lawyers and 1,035 support personnel.