PAO lawyers who retired 7 yrs. ago finally get P178M retirement pay

Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief Persida Acosta on Tuesday said 40 of their employees who retired seven years ago would finally be getting their respective share in the P178-million retirement pay awarded to them.

"Narito po ako para magbalita sa ating maralitang Pilipino na ang kanilang mga lawyer na nag-retire mula noong 2010 ay babayaran na ng retirement gratuity ng ating mahal na Pangulo Rodrigo Roa Duterete," Acosta said during a press briefing in Malacañang earlier in the day.

"Umaabot ng more or less P178 million ang kanilang five year lump sum total. Kasama na rin dito yung limang pamilyang namatayan," she added.

The PAO lawyers, who collectively calls themselves "PAO 40," would have received their retirement pay Tuesday afternoon.

PAO scored a legal victory in March against the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in connection with the release of their retirement benefits worth about P139.9 million.

A ruling handed down by Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 230 Judge Maria Gilda Loja-Pangilinan nullified the DBM Legal Services Opinion No. 14 issued in November 2015, which stated that the concerned PAO lawyers are not entitled to the same retirement package as that of prosecutors under the National Prosecution Service (NPS).

But the PAO lawyers cited Section 5 of the PAO Law (Republic Act 9406), which states that a public attorney shall have the same qualifications for appointment, rank, salaries, allowances, and retirement privileges as those of the NPS prosecutor.

Two of the claimants, Manuel Ramos Jr. and Valentine Daoas, have already passed away without receiving the benefits, but Acosta on Tuesday said their benefits would now be released to their families.

Fifteen of the 40 PAO claimants, meanwhile, are already bed-ridden. — MDM, GMA News