Public Attorney's Office (Philippines)

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Public Attorney's Office
Public Attorney's Office (PAO).svg
Agency overview
Formed1972 (1972) as Citizen's Legal Assistance Office
JurisdictionPhilippines
Employees3,518 (2024) [1]
Agency executive
Parent department Department of Justice
Website pao.gov.ph

The Public Attorney's Office (PAO) is the public defender for all courts in the Philippines. It also provides other legal services to the poor. According to its mission statement it exists to provide to the poor "free access to courts, judicial and quasi-judicial agencies, by rendering legal services, counselling[ sic ] and assistance". [2]

Contents

It is an attached agency of the Department of Justice (DOJ). It is led by chief public attorney Persida Acosta, [3] who was appointed to the position on February 23, 2001, by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

History

PAO was previously known as the Citizen's Legal Assistance Office (CLAO) which was created as a body under the Department of Justice (DOJ) in 1972 under the Integrated Reorganization Plan. It is mandated to provide free legal assistance to indigent people. [4] [5]

In 2006, the CLAO was renamed as the Public Attorney's Office (PAO) through Republic Act 9406. The renamed body retained its mandate. [6]

List of chief public attorneys

PAO is headed by the chief public attorney, whose tenure is not defined by law. [7]

PortraitNameTook officeLeft officeOffice President Ref.
Reynold Fajardo19751997Citizens' Legal Assistance Office Ferdinand Marcos
Corazon Aquino
Fidel V. Ramos
Joseph Estrada
PBBM-2022 TOFIL awarding (cropped)-Persida Acosta.jpg Persida Acosta Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
February 23, 2001incumbentPublic Attorney's Office [3]
Benigno Aquino III
Rodrigo Duterte
Bongbong Marcos

References

  1. ↑ Department of Budget and Management. "Staffing Summary Fiscal Year 2024" (PDF). Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Public Attorneys Office Vision and Mission". pao.gov.ph. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Public Attorneys Office Profile of Chief Public Attorney". pao.gov.ph. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  4. ↑ Torres-Tupas, Tetch (April 4, 2022). "Please spare PAO from politics, Persida Acosta pleads". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Request of the Public Attorney's Office to Delete Section 22, Canon III of the Proposed Code of Professional Responsibility And Accountability". Supreme Court E-Library. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  6. ↑ Damicog, Jeffrey (September 2, 2024). "PAO does not collaborate with private lawyers in handling court cases". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  7. ↑ Buan, Lian (November 4, 2019). "In Numbers: Public Attorney's Office under Acosta". Rappler. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2024.

See also


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