8 PAO lawyers deployed at ICI

Eight lawyers from the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) will assist the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) in fast-tracking its ongoing investigation into the alleged flood control corruption scandal.

PAO chief Persida Rueda-Acosta confirmed that her office immediately responded to the call of ICI Chairman and former Justice Andres Reyes Jr., saying PAO “recognizes the urgency and importance of the ICI’s mandate to promote transparency, accountability, and integrity in infrastructure development.”

“The agency is closely aligned with PAO’s unwavering commitment to justice and the protection of the public interest,” she added.

Lawyer Nazario Bancoro Jr. will lead the contingent, which includes lawyers Demiteer Huerta, who will serve as assistant team leader; Jose Noel Hilario; Marlowe Doms Tajon; Jan Karlo S. Lopez; Jeffrey Hilario; Lourdes Sorreta; and Jamor Tremor.

Deputy Chief Public Attorney Ana Lisa Soriano said the eight PAO lawyers have been directed to render services at the ICI from Tuesday to Friday each week for six months beginning 14 October 2025.

To allow them to attend to their pending caseloads — including the preparation, finalization, and filing of pleadings, annexes, exhibits, and other documents — they will report to the PAO central office every Monday, Soriano said.

“We trust that this arrangement will not only address your commission’s immediate need for legal expertise but also contribute meaningfully to the effective discharge of its investigatory and administrative functions, especially during this formative period,” Soriano said in her reply to Reyes’ letter requesting PAO assistance.

She added that while PAO wanted to deploy more lawyers, it could not do so due to significant resource constraints, particularly in personnel.

“Our office has consistently endeavored to respond to the ever-increasing demand for legal services nationwide, even as we await approval of additional plantilla positions and budgetary support to address these growing needs,” she explained.

“At the moment, no new plantilla positions for non-lawyer personnel have been created in our office, which poses additional challenges to our daily operations,” she added.

“Notwithstanding these limitations, we assure you of our unwavering support and readiness to assist in any way we can,” Soriano said.

In a letter, the ICI stated that in view of the gravity of the national issue involved — referring to the multibillion-peso flood control projects — the “knowledge and expertise of any PAO member is indispensable to the matters under investigation by the commission.”