PUBLIC Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief Persida Rueda-Acosta on Thursday said she is determined to maximize her term of office until she retires at 70 as mandated by law.
Rueda-Acosta told The Manila Times she understood if names were being floated as her replacement in PAO.
“I could quickly comprehend their views because they thought all the while that the tenure of office of the PAO chief would end when he/she reaches the age of 65,” she said.
Now 65, Rueda-Acosta is the longest-serving PAO chief. She was appointed by then-president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in February 2021.
The issue of a fixed term of office for PAO’s top post was highlighted by Quezon City Trial Court Branch 230 Judge Maria Gilda Loja-Pangilinan when she spoke before some 3,000 public attorneys during PAO’s 9th Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) grand convention in April.
Loja-Pangilinan, who was hailed over her 2017 decision which favored the retirement benefits for PAO retirees at par with those at the National Prosecutorial Service (NAPROS) and which was affirmed by the Court of Appeals, cited Republic Act (RA) 9946 which governs the retirement benefits of the members of the judiciary.
“As the law provides, parity extends to the senior-ranking members of the Public Attorney’s Office. It is quite evident: the Chief Public Attorney shall have the same qualifications and retirement benefits as his or her counterpart in NAPROS,” Loja-Pangilinan said.
She said the legislative intent was to truly give PAO personnel the same rank, salary, and benefits as their counterpart in NAPROS, “extending to qualifications and retirement of the Chief Public Attorney, deputies, and all other senior PAO officers down the line.” The judge reiterated that under RA 9946 the compulsory retirement age for the Chief Public Attorney and public attorneys in general is 70 years old, plus 15 years of judicial or government service.
