PAO eyes transfer to new QC headquarters by June 2027

Public Attorney's Office (PAO) chief Persida Acosta expressed hope that the agency will be able to transfer to its new eight-story headquarters in Quezon City by June 2027.

Acosta, accompanied by PAO personnel and members of the media, inspected the ongoing construction of the agency's new headquarters on Monday at the National Government Center along Commonwealth Avenue.

The new building sits on a 5,175-square-meter property and is expected to provide more space for clients and employees, particularly indigent Filipinos seeking free legal assistance.

According to PAO, more than 1,000 clients visit its office daily, underscoring the need for a larger and more accessible facility.

During the inspection, Acosta rode a temporary elevator to the top floor of the unfinished structure to personally assess the progress of construction.

She also urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to accelerate work on the long-delayed project.

"PAO does not have the fund allocation for the building construction. It is being downloaded by the Department of Budget and Management to the DPWH. I previously refused to handle the budget to avoid corruption within PAO," Acosta said.

The agency's current headquarters along NIA Road in Barangay Pinyahan, Quezon City has long been plagued by space constraints.

Employees noted that the building is overcrowded and located beside an informal settlers' community that was hit by a major fire on 6 March.

Acosta assured the public that the new headquarters was designed to withstand a magnitude 10 earthquake and would become more accessible once the Metro Rail Transit-7 system becomes operational.

She also thanked Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian for allocating P280 million for Phase 5 of the project when he chaired the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

Acosta likewise expressed gratitude to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for supporting the project's funding and to Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon for ensuring the building's structural integrity.

Construction of the headquarters began in 2019 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic the following year.

In May 2017, PAO entered into a memorandum of agreement with the DPWH and the National Housing Authority for the preparation of architectural and engineering plans for the facility.

The project received an initial allocation of P900 million under the 2018 national budget.