The Department of Budget and Management has approved the creation of 178 new public attorney positions nationwide to further improve the public’s access to the justice system and the government’s delivery of legal services. 

The DBM said it has allowed the opening of 56 Public Attorney II and 122 Public Attorney I positions at the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO). 

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.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the creation of these new positions will be lodged under the Department of Justice, which will require a P336 million annual budget. 

“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,” Pangandaman said. 

“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,” she added. 

Pangandaman said the additional lawyer positions will enable the PAO to better manage the increasing demands for legal representation and services in the country. 

In 2021, the PAO handled 787,124 cases and assisted 849,914 clients in 2021. The figure increased to 850,753 cases and 900,079 clients in 2022. 

According to the DBM, the newly created public attorney 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.

It added that the 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 DBM noted that the additional workforce 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.