The Department of Justice (DOJ) is currently in discussions with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to secure funding for the additional prosecutor positions required in the MIMAROPA region.
MIMAROPA’s OIC Regional Prosecutor Alen Ross Rodriguez said that this is based on the guidelines of the Prosecution Service Act of 2010 and a joint memorandum circular issued by the DBM and DOJ last year.
He mentioned during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro that there are currently 61 prosecutors in the region, but 57 more are needed to adequately handle the workload.
Despite the limited number of prosecutors, Rodriguez highlighted that their disposition rate reached an impressive 99.39% in the first semester of the current year, with 6,480 out of 6,520 complaints resolved on time. This high performance suggests that, even with the shortage, the existing prosecutors are working efficiently.
Rodriguez pointed out that the lack of funding is not the only issue; there are also very few attorneys applying for these prosecutor positions.
He expressed gratitude to the prosecutors who manage to attend hearings across different locations despite their limited numbers, often taking on multiple cases to ensure that justice is served and every court hearing is attended.
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