PAO assists nearly 508,000 detainees in nine months

The Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) assisted nearly 508,000 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) through jail visitation activities from January to September 2026, providing legal assistance and medical, dental and optical services as part of efforts to address jail congestion.

PAO Chief Persida Rueda-Acosta cited the figures on Tuesday, saying the agency’s central office assisted 9,894 PDLs during 17 jail visits through its legal and medical jail visitation and decongestion program, while its regional and district offices assisted 497,772 detainees through 51,830 visits.

During the nine-month period, the central office provided legal assistance to 1,969 PDLs, medical services to 4,369, dental services to 1,470 and optical services to 2,086, Rueda-Acosta said.

At the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City, the PAO conducted nine jail visits and assisted 5,943 PDLs.

Of those assisted, 1,258 received legal assistance, 2,806 received medical services, 723 received dental services and 1,156 received optical services.

Meanwhile, the PAO’s regional and district offices conducted legal assistance activities in jails nationwide, assisting nearly half a million detainees during the nine-month period, according to Rueda-Acosta.

She said public defenders interview detainees during jail visits to identify those without legal counsel, those who may have been detained beyond the maximum imposable penalty for their alleged offenses, and those whose preventive imprisonment has reached the minimum imposable principal penalty.

Under Article 29 of the Revised Penal Code, detainees who meet the applicable requirements may seek release on reduced bail or on their own recognizance through the appropriate motion.

Deputy Chief Ana Lisa Soriano said the PAO also checks cases involving detainees who have not been arraigned within the period prescribed under the Speedy Trial Act, as well as cases requiring the release of minors held in custody under Republic Act 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006.

Detainees are informed that they may avail themselves of PAO services free of charge. When a detainee already has private counsel, the lawyer is informed of circumstances that may warrant immediate action.

Soriano said the PAO resident lawyer is notified and the procedures outlined in Section 2, Article 6, Chapter XI of the 2021 Revised PAO Operations Manual are followed.

From January to September 2026, a total of 57,284 PDLs were released on various legal grounds, according to PAO-National Capital Region Director Revelyn Ramos-Dacpano, who concurrently heads the agency’s Executive Support Staff.

Of the total, 2,140 were released on recognizance after serving the minimum sentence, while 7,134 were released following the provisional dismissal of their cases, Ramos-Dacpano said.

Another 1,932 were released because their preventive imprisonment equaled the maximum imposable penalty, although their cases remained pending.

The office also recorded 12,369 releases following the completion of sentences in cases that had already been terminated, and 33,709 releases on other legal grounds.

The PAO said it had no estimate of the number of PDLs who would qualify for release by the end of the year but maintained records of those released during the reporting period.

The Department of Justice tapped the PAO to support its jail decongestion efforts, resulting in five culminating programs from January to September 2026.

These activities led to the release of 9,326 PDLs held in penal facilities administered by the Bureau of Corrections.