Province needs more prosecutors

The Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office has requested for additional prosecutors to assist them in the prosecution of cases falling under its jurisdiction following the additional loads given to them in the newly created City of Naga.

Provincial prosecutor Pepita Jane Petralba, in a request addressed to acting Regional State Prosecutor Llena Ipong, said that her office has only 14 regular prosecutors assigned to handle cases in 35 different Regional Trial Courts all over the province and a number of Municipal Trial Courts and Municipal Circuit Trial Courts in the different towns.

Petralba said that her office is currently swamped with several requests from the mayors for a prosecutor to appear in their municipal courts.

According to Petralba, the current number of prosecutors in the province is not enough to address these requests.

The recent Department of Justice memorandum directing her to assign prosecutors to assist in the prosecution of cases in the Cities of Naga, Bogo and Carcar prompted Petralba to request for associate prosecuting attorneys to be detailed in her office.

Except for Naga, the cities of Carcar and Bogo do not have any problems, Petralba said.

Naga acting city prosecutor Aida Sanchez reportedly refused to prosecute cases that are already on trial before she assumed.

This prompted Ipong to direct Petralba in the assigning of assistant prosecutors to work on cases in Naga. But Petralba refused to honor Ipong’s memorandum saying that it is inconsistent with the provisions of the charter of Naga.

Petralba explained that based on the Naga charter, only the Secretary of Justice can order the provincial prosecutor to assign assistants to prosecute cases in the city. Petralba’s refusal to honor Ipong’s memorandum prompted the latter to secure a department order from the DOJ.  

“The need of the office of the provincial prosecutors for more fiscals is greater than that of  Naga or any other city of Cebu,” Petralba said. — Fred P. Languido/MEEV