A LAWMAKER has called on Congress to help ease the country’s shortage of public attorneys serving marginalized sectors by passing a measure that would establish a scholarship program for aspiring lawyers who are willing to render mandatory service in government institutions.
Parañaque Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan filed House Bill 5242, or the proposed Abogado Para sa Bayan Act, which provides full scholarships to qualified law students in exchange for at least two years of mandatory service in the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) or other government agencies with a similar mission.
‘Our Abogado Para sa Bayan Act’s goal is to help them realize their dream while also helping ensure that the government would have a steady pool of competent and committed lawyers at the Public Attorney’s Office [PAO]and other government institutions providing legal services to indigent clients and other underserved sectors,’ Yamsuan said.
‘As the late President Ramon Magsaysay once said, ‘Those who have less in life should have more in law.’ However, this advocacy is rarely carried out because of the acute shortage of lawyers ready to provide their services to our poor countrymen,’ he added.
Citing the PAO’s 2024 Accomplishment Report, Yamsuan noted that the agency served 15,069,235 clients and handled 847,317 cases, including 92,052 involving persons deprived of liberty (PDLs). However, these were handled by only 2,676 public attorneys, equivalent to a ratio of roughly 5,631 clients and 317 cases per lawyer.
To help address the shortage, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) approved the creation of 178 new PAO lawyer positions in 2024, while the Supreme Court issued its Unified Legal Aid Service (Ulas) rules requiring all covered lawyers to render at least 60 hours of pro bono service every three years.
‘These efforts, while commendable, are still not enough. Justice is a right, not a privilege. Our measure will future-proof our legal sector and make sure that all Filipinos have access to legal aid regardless of his or her social and economic status in life,’ Yamsuan said.
Under the Legal Scholarship and Return Service (LSRS) Program of HB 5242, qualified students will receive full scholarships covering tuition, school fees, allowances for books and supplies, bar review expenses, and licensure fees.
To qualify, applicants must be Filipino citizens residing in the Philippines, graduates or graduating students of any undergraduate program, and must pass the entrance exams and admission requirements of the law school they intend to enroll in.
Scholars must study at state universities and colleges (SUCs) or partner private institutions in regions without SUCs offering law programs. They must also complete their studies within the prescribed period and take the bar examinations within one year after graduation.
Upon passing the bar, beneficiaries are required to render two years of return service within five years from admission to the practice of law. They may serve in the PAO, the National Prosecution Service, or other government agencies that provide legal aid to indigent individuals, public school teachers, health workers, and uniformed personnel.
Beneficiaries who fail to secure government appointments within three years may either repay the full scholarship cost or comply with alternative programs to be determined by the Legal Education Board (LEB), which will also oversee the program’s implementation and determine the geographical distribution of scholars.