Benefits & Privileges

Fulfillment in helping the needy

- You’re in a position to help and you’re in a position to advise

- Because our clientele is basically the indigents, those wo cannot defend themselves.
- It’s a thankless job. but the thing is, it brings satisfaction when you see families heal,
when people reconcile, and when people get the justice they feel that they deserve,
it’s satisfying up to that point (Judge T)

- When you are in kindergarten, when asked what you want to become when you
grow up and when you say lawyer, people will say because “kasi gusto ko
ipagtanggol ang mga naapi.”(laughs) so i’m living the dream. (Atty. Tinapay)

- It fills your heart to see that they are very grateful to you na wala silang binabayad
sayo na binibigay. Nakakataba ng puso. There’s no other measure na
mapasalamatan ka nila, but they are felt gratitude. Iyon iyong masarap sa job.

Training

- because it’s a break from my routinary work like dito sa office

- The privilege of being in a government, maybe you can do a lot of network because
in a government you meet a lot of other lawyer or other people outside the building.
You meet different people like in the DPW, DSWD, NEDA, people from the military,
from the PNP so get to meet them, to attend meetings with generals, directors,
undersecretaries, assistant secretaries. SO, I think that would be one of the privileges.

Working Hours
- You are only required to be in the office from 8-5. and that’s it, and specially in govt,
all we are into in this profession is the dispensation of justice. we receive no pecuniary
interest from our clients, and certainly not from other people. We have 16 cameras
here so there is no way for corruption to persist in this office. Gift giving is strictly not
allowed, you will be booted out in the office if proven that you received gifts.

Compensation

- a Senior Assistant Prosecutor, I have a salary grade of 28. Under the SSL law, we had
step 1 is 137,000 in a month and then, for me I’m already step 2 because 3 years na
ako sa position ko, 139,000 plus RATA, meron pa travels allowance so, 18,000 a
month. Government salary is actually enticing.

- Public Attorney I, right now they are earning, I think, it’s 94k, that’s gross and they also
receive allowances and also the RATA, so that’s 10k. So I guess they earn a net of 95k
that’s per month.
- Public attorney II, a net of around 110k. So that’s a lot specially if you’re a new lawyer.
- the PAO law , R.A. 9046 , we adopted their benefits by implication so all other benefits
enjoyed by lawyers of the DOJ will also be enjoyed by the PAO. So it’s just the same,
whatever it is the salary of the incumbent public attorney, will also be received by the
retirees.

- Retirement of the Prosecutors is under the Republic Act 171. It is National Service
Prosecution Act. Under the act, the salary and other prosecutors’ benefit will be the
monthly pension. So, when you retire, your last salary, that will be your monthly
pension. the results of the provision there, that if, let say you retire then after 5 years
there is an increase in the salary of your last precession, your monthly salary will also
increase. So, magsu-sweldo ka without a tax and a work.
Challenges and Risks

Bulk of work

- , THERES A HIGH VOLUME OF CASES BEING HEAR EVERY MONTH. YOU TEND TO GET
BURNT OUT LIKE A MAYFLY. SO IN MY JOB, ALTHOUGH IT’S A BIT OF A CHALLENGE. YOU
SHOULD REALLY FIND AN AVENUE TO RELEASE YOUR STRESS, STRESS MANAGEMENT.
WHEN YOUR IN GOVT SERVICE YOU NEED TO HAVE SOME STRESS MANAGEMENT,
OTHERWISE, YOU WONT SEE RETIREMENT ANYMORE

- A HUGE VOLUME OF CASES SPECIALLY FOR THE PAO BECAUSE ALTHOUGH THERE ARE
PRIVATE LAWYERS THEY SELDOM APPEAR BECAUSE USUALLY WHO HANDLES MOST OF
THE CASES IN COURT IS USUALLY THE PAO
- EVERY SEASON(LAUGHS) IS A CHALLENGE BECAUSE CRIME DOES NOT STOP AND
PEOPLE NEED TO BE DEFENDED EVERYDAY. SO THERE IS NO PEAK SEASON FOR US.
EVERYDAY IS A BATTLE

Difficulty of Cases

- It’s challenging when you make your decision because there are cases really, there
are cases that are fairly clean cut and you know where to decide on who’s winning
like that but there are cases wherein, you really can’t tell who’s winning until you write
your decision, you take a closer look at the evidence, and look at the law in
comparison with the evidence, that’s only when you can really decide. It’s more
difficult when it involves, you know you’re dealing with people’s money, property,
liberty, and it comes down to this, it’s difficult

- it becomes difficult. It becomes difficult also when you see families fighting. There are
a lot of cases wherein you see family against family, brother against brother, brother
against sister, (everything I got, every day?) even mother against child, child against
parent, it’s difficult. But of course, when I have cases like that, I try to make sure that I
set aside time to talk to all them to see if it’s possible for them to come to a
settlement
- syempre there’s also pressure because you are lecturing or you are being a resource
speaker among your peers. Some of the prosecutors are more senior than you, older
than you, younger in the practice of law. So, sometimes may pressure

Application process

- the documentation that you need to submit just for the application by itself is already
a very big task and will take you some time just to gather all those.

- you could be disheartening to know that there are lot of requirements to enter in
government service, but just persist because when you start working, you’ll know it’s
all worth it. Then, it’s very nice to have a cause, I mean, representing the people of
the Philippines

Life and Safety Risks

- It’s the risk that all lawyers, or prosecutors, and judges face everyday. It’s part of their
hazards of the work. Well, because you will decide a case and your decision, some
people will like, some people will never like.There’s some people who feel that
kasalanan ng judge. That’s why there are some people that na talagang “Talo

- Death threats if you handle high profile cases. There is always to yourself and to your
family. If you heard in the news, there are already several prosecutors who were
killed. And then, someone close to home. In the Davao region is the city prosecutor
of Mati. He was shot when he arrived in the Hall of Justice of Mati City, so iyan iyong
dangers..

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Contrast:

PROSECUTOR: of course, in public service, much is expected. You to get the office from
at least 8 o’clock to 5 o’clock. In private practice kasi, you are the boss. If you want to
go to your office at 11 o’clock or after lunch, it’s up to you, but in a private practice
you are just as good as the work you put, meaning, if you go to your office after lunch,
iyon lang ang kita. Whereas in the public service, fix iyong sweldo mo e, but you are
expected to be there from 8 to 5. Then, for government service you have leaves. We
have 30 paid leaves so, mas enticing. Whereas in private practice, especially when you
are in a law office, at least, not for the big once ha, doon sa mga small to medium, if
wala ka sa office, wala kang sweldo, wala kang kita. In government service, kahit na
mag official leave ka, may suweldo ka pa rin. You can spend long vacation. Be out
Friday, be back on Tuesday you still have salaries. I think that’s one of the differences.

PAO: working in a private firm or in the private sector, you need/must do everything to
win the case because you are being paid by the client and at the drop of the hat, you
could be replaced. So you need to get ahead of the curb. So you need to be extra.
Whereas in PAO, that kind of stress is removed because here, the client will enter and
although they do not pay you directly, you do not receive any compensation from them,
you are being paid by the government. In terms of financial stability, PAO can give you
that, government office can give you that, and as to experience, you get more
experience from PAO because everyday you get to appear in court whereas in private
practice, like if you are a junior associate, usually, you are only made to tag along before
the more seasoned lawyers and usually it’s only for motion to dismiss or not really the
important stuff because you have not proven your competence. If you will be later on
promoted, all you’re getting are marching orders from the partners of the firm while in
PAO, we will not hold your hand. You applied in the office, so we expect you to work but
you do not expect us to go with you to court, to prompt you what it is you need to do.
You need to make some “ diskarte”, there is no English translation for “diskarte” so that’s
it. There’s carte-blanche for you, there is freedom for you to proceed with trial as you see
fit. Although your district head or superior will oversee if you’ve done something or what
it is you are doing, the discretion Is still left to you and how you handle your cases.