PAO lawyers seek stipend from city government

CEBU, Philippines - At least 20 lawyers of  the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO)-Cebu City Chapter are asking allowance from the city government, citing the bulk of legal work they do for indigent clients in the city.

The lawyers, led by their officer-in-charge/district public attorney III Danilo Tenebro Jr., forwarded their request to the office of  Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella in a letter dated Mar. 10, 2014.

During the regular session of the City Council presided by Labella last Wednesday, the lawyers’ request was forwarded to the office of Mayor Michael Rama and of the Committee on Budget and Finance chaired by Councilor Margarita Osmeña before possible approval.

Labella said the lawyers are requesting the allowance, “consi-dering that their duties include appearances in civil, administrative and labor cases, and other quasi-judicial cases, walk-in consultations, documentation, administration of oath and legal counseling, jail visitation and other elated duties.”

The vice mayor has met earlier with the PAO lawyers regarding the matter.

Tenebro, in his letter, showed that PAO-Cebu City District served approximately 8,775 clients in 2013, 2,206 of which or 25 percent constitutes walk-in clients while 6,659 or 75 percent are those represented in court.

Tenebro further showed that of the 6,659 cases represented, some 70 to 80 percent or roughly between 5,000 to 5,400 are city cases.

Furthermore, Regional Special Appealed Cases Unit (RSACU), the unit directed to represent appealed cases before the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court from decisions of the RTCs in Regions 6, 7, and 8, showed that 1,043 cases come solely from Cebu City or 67 percent from the 1,564 cases that it has catered.

While the PAO lawyers are not receiving any, Cebu City allocates P10,000 allowance to members of the City Prosecutor’s Office; P20,000 to RTC judges; P15,000 to MTCC judges; and P4,000 to clerks of court, the PAO-Cebu City District OIC further showed.

“While we do seek your munificence in granting our request as a token of appreciation for the work we have been doing, the outcome here of would not in any way affect our utmost priority to continually uphold the mandate of the PAO to render, free of charge, legal representation, assistance and counseling to indigent persons including constituents from the City of Cebu,” Tenebro said.

PAO, the principal law office of the government for qualified indigents, established several district offices all throughout the country.

The Cebu City District Office represents indigents accused and charged before all Regional Trial Courts and Municipal Trial Courts in Cities. It also houses the RSACU headed by the Regional Public Attorney.  (FREEMAN)