PAO recruits more lawyers

THE Public Attorney's Office (PAO) will recruit 178 more lawyers to assist unprivileged Filipinos in need of legal representation, aid and counseling, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla announced on Monday.

Remulla said the recruitment was made possible after the Department of Budget and Management approved the creation of new positions of public attorneys.

Under the new plantilla, there will be 122 PA 1 and 56 PA 2 positions to be assigned in different PAO offices nationwide, requiring an annual budget of P336 million.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla

Boosting the PAO's services is part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s Bagong Pilipinas governance campaign to ensure that no Filipino will be left behind on the nation's path to progress, Remulla said.

«Gone are the days when some may think that access to justice in the Philippines is exclusively for the wealthy. Today, under the Bagong Pilipinas political vision, we level the playing field between the rich and the poor in terms of having access to legal services,» he said.

Remulla thanked Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman for «going the extra mile to address the legal needs of our country.» The PAO is an attached agency of the Department of Justice.

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It also provides «free access to courts, judicial and quasi-judicial agencies» for the poor.