Capitol lacks regular lawyers

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu provincial government has no regular lawyers among its 13-member legal team, prompting the Provincial Legal Office to work on filling up six plantilla positions.

PLO head Atty. Guiller Ceniza disclosed during the 2027 budget deliberations, where the office presented its proposed annual budget of P31.9 million. Ceniza said the office has six approved plantilla positions that it hopes to fill within November 2026.

“We're in the process of filling up these slots. This month, we can be able to fill up that six slots,” Ceniza said.

He added that the office would need to fill additional positions in 2027 as part of efforts to establish a regular legal workforce.

The staffing situation prompted questions from members of the budget deliberation panel, particularly regarding the office’s capacity to handle cases involving local government units (LGUs).

Board Member Celestino “Tining” Martinez III pointed out that many LGUs rely on the PLO for legal assistance and asked how many cases the office was currently handling.

Atty. Romielyn Macalinao said the office was handling around 170 cases.

“We have around 170 cases, Board,” Macalinao said.

She explained that the 13 lawyers handle pleadings and represent the provincial government in legal proceedings, but documents requiring the office head’s signature must be signed by Ceniza, who is currently the only regular official among them.

The arrangement allows the lawyers to handle legal work on behalf of the provincial government, with Ceniza providing the necessary official signatures on pleadings and other legal documents.

Aside from its personnel requirements, the PLO proposed a total annual budget of P31.9 million for 2027.

During the deliberations, Martinez questioned the proposed increase in the office’s supplies and expenses, particularly its allocation for office supplies. The office had an allocation of P1.8 million, but its reported actual expenditure as of Sept. 30 was only P576,000, leaving an unspent balance of more than P1.2 million.

Martinez questioned why the office was seeking another P1.9 million for the same expense despite the substantial remaining balance.

Macalinao explained that the office was preparing for a renovation scheduled in November and December, with the project already awarded to a contractor.

She said part of the remaining allocation was being reserved for tables and chairs for the lawyers, as many of the existing furniture pieces had deteriorated through regular use.

“Most of the tables are already worned down due to the wear and tear,” Macalinao said.

She added that the office was postponing the furniture purchase until the renovation begins so procurement could be coordinated with the improvement works.

Martinez, however, clarified that the questioned allocation was generally intended for office supplies, including paper and other basic necessities, rather than renovation materials.

Budget officer Danilo Rodas explained that under Commission on Audit (COA) guidelines, certain furniture and equipment costing P50,000 and below may be classified under maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) rather than capital outlay.

He said the P500,000 mentioned by the PLO was being reserved for tables and chairs, with the procurement potentially carried over to 2027 if the renovation is not completed within the year.

Laptops for lawyers

The proposed increase in the office’s information technology equipment allocation also drew questions during the deliberations.

Macalinao said the PLO’s 13 lawyers currently use their personal laptops for work because the office has yet to provide them with government-issued computers.

She explained that the Capitol had restricted personal computers from accessing its Wi-Fi network following a cybersecurity incident in June.

According to ICTO head Jeanette Saluba, the provincial government subsequently implemented a protocol prohibiting computers running operating systems below Windows 11 from connecting to its network.

Saluba said the restriction was imposed because Microsoft had stopped providing security support and patches for Windows 10, leaving computers running the operating system more vulnerable to cyberattacks.

The office has already procured desktop computers for its other personnel, with the next step being to provide government-issued computers to its lawyers. — /FPL (FREEMAN)