Budget for allowance of PAO lawyers sought
BACOLOD CITY – City Councilors Jocelle Batapa-Sigue and Dindo Ramos are set to pass a resolution today earnestly and strongly requesting the Office City Mayor Evelio Leonardia to include in the 2009 budget and in the succeeding years an item allocation for the allowance of lawyers under the Public Attorney's office (PAO) within the city of Bacolod.
According to Batapa-Sigue the PAO is an attached agency of the Department of Justice which provides indigent litigants free legal assistance and therefore worth to be given allowance just like in other government agencies. She said that PAO is mandated by law to provide the indigent sector access to counsel at the time of need and implement the constitutional guarantee of free access to courts, due process and able protection of the laws.
She further said that PAO is now mandated to prosecute violence against women and children (VAWC) under Republic Act No. 9262 and trafficking in person cases under Republic Act No. 9208.
The proposed resolution specified that the city of Bacolod cannot provide at the moment regular legal services through the Bacolod Women Center (BWC) under Republic Act 9262 and trafficking in person cases under Republic Act No. 9208, thus, empowering the PAO lawyers would redound to the benefit of the city in the delivery of legal services.