By GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
ILOILO City — Western Visayas is in dire need of more prosecutors.
In fact, it is the Philippine region that needs more prosecutors the most, Regional Prosecutor Domingo Laurea Jr. said.
With only 40 percent of the ideal number of prosecutors remaining, the region ranked first in the country in terms of prosecutorial position vacancies, Laurea said.
He said this is a “serious problem,” as this “affects the delivery of prosecutorial services, especially resolving cases.”
Western Visayas should have more than 1,000 prosecutors to handle the cases that keep racking up every year, he said.
Laurea could not determine yet how many prosecutors exactly the region needs.
He said ideally there must be one prosecutor in every court. In the case of Region 6, however, some prosecutors handle three to four courts.
In Iloilo province, for instance, there are only nine prosecutors and two prosecution attorneys, Laurea said.
Among the causes of the “shortage,” according to Laurea, are the prosecutors’ retirement, resignation, and death.
Another could be that only a few lawyers apply as prosecutors, as most prefer private law practice, he said.
Presidential Decree 1275 created the national prosecution service directly under the Department of Justice.
It states that, before a lawyer could apply for prosecution service, he/she must have at least five years of law practice.
A private lawyer who had been practicing for five years, however, “will already find (private practice) stable and lucrative,” Laurea said.
“It is very rare to find a private practicing lawyer applying with us,” he said.
Most of their applicants, he said, are lawyers from Public Attorneys’ Office and government agencies, and clerks of courts.
SOLUTION
Laurea said the solution lies with the Justice department and Malacañang.
New applicants that provincial or city prosecutors recommend are immediately endorsed to the Justice department, he said.
Laurea said he could not remember how many applicants exactly the Regional Prosecutor’s Office has endorsed.
Still, “assuming all of the applicants (we endorsed) will be appointed, dako gihapon ang kulang,” he lamented.
Laurea said they recommended lowering the required number of years of law practice from five to three.
During its recent meeting, the Regional Peace and Order Council approved a resolution asking the Department of Justice to assign additional prosecutors in Region 6./PN
