15 PAO lawyers out from service

Fifteen public lawyers who complained about questionable activities of their regional head in Central Visayas are now being terminated, one after the other, from their jobs.

Four young public lawyers, assigned to the Cebu City-based Public Attorney’s Office, yesterday said they had already received communications from Manila informing them that their services had been terminated effective on March 13.

The public lawyers signed the petition seeking for the removal and reassignment of regional public attorney Maria G-Ree Calinawan, citing “an escalation of abusive, oppressive, coercive, vindictive acts and immoral, unbecoming conduct.”

It was learned that PAO-Manila has extended the services of those public lawyers who did not sign the petition to oust Calinawan from her post but those who are now threatened of termination said they will not stop from pursuing their cause.

The relatives of some of the poor litigants who are clients of these lawyers trooped to the PAO yesterday to express concern over the outcome of the termination of the services of their assigned lawyers.

“Mangita na lang ko’g laing abogado nga makapadayon paglaban namo. Kuyawan man god ko nga maapektahan na hinoon ang among kaso,” said Janet Banada, whose son was killed allegedly by a policeman.

Lolita Masecampo, of Tres de Abril Street, was also worried because the hearing of her son’s case that was already scheduled for today has no lawyer for the trial due to the termination of the lawyer handling the case.

Lawyer Irish Inabangan described as unfair the order of the Manila-based PAO, issued by administrative officer Epifanio Coles, because they were made to work until last week although the effectivity of their termination started last March 13.

“Kinahanglang bayaran mi sa among serbisyo kay kapin sa semana mi nga nagtrabaho nga gitabla ra nila ang among sweldo,” another young lawyer said.

One of the lawyers, Rizalina Zozobrado, had filed a criminal and administrative case against Calinawan before the Office of the Ombudsman. The court had stopped the transfer to Barili town of Cebu City PAO division chief Elisa Porio and the office’s administrative officer, Carmelita Dacanay.

Porio and Dacanay were ordered transferred to Barili for reasons of exigency of the service and upon the recommendation of Calinawan. The two were among those who signed the petition.

The court reporters chased and wanted to interview Calinawan after she hurriedly went out of her office at noon yesterday, but the latter just ignored the chasing reporters. — Rene U. Borromeo/RAE