Bill seeks to eliminate two positions in AGO

A Senate proposal to eliminate two positions at the Attorney General’s Office will provide two additional lawyers to the Public Defender’s Office that are necessary to handle increasing caseloads there, according to its proponent.

Senate Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes said the imbalance on the number of lawyers between the AGO and PDO must be corrected following complaints that the latter is short of staff to deal with growing number of people seeking free legal services.

At present, the AGO employs over 30 lawyers to take care of both civil and criminal cases filed by the government, while PDO has five to defend people in courts who cannot afford private legal representation.

“It’s time that we correct the imbalance and provide sufficient attorneys for the [PDO],” Mr. Reyes told in an interview yesterday. “This is just fair.”

The senator on Thursday made as a rider to the FY 2000 budget bill the proposal to transfer the two AGO positions to the public defender.
It is now up for consideration by the House of Representatives, along with other amendments to the measure appropriating over $211 million in projected revenues for the current fiscal year.

Mr. Reyes, who lobbied hard in the upper house for its approval, disclosed that he had attempted unsuccessfully in the past to increase the number of lawyers at the PDO to help the office.

He stressed, however, that he did not move for the transfer to retaliate against the AGO with whom he has had brushes in the past over differences on interpretation on existing laws and legislation as well as the appointment of former acting Attorney General Maya B. Kara.

“I hope that whatever differences I have with the [AGO] in the past are now buried and should be behind us now,” said the lawmaker, adding he is supporting the nomination of Herb D. Soll to as chief government lawyer.

He maintained though that PDO must be given enough manpower to provide services to the people as caseloads referred to the office have jumped without corresponding increase in its resources.

“I feel that when there is too much lawyers in an office, it becomes less efficient,” Mr. Reyes explained. “We need to give [PDO] more lawyers so that they can take care of all problems they need to handle them efficiently.”