In retrospect, we are reminded that our Office was once named, the Citizen’s Legal Assistance Office (CLAO) before it was known by its present name. The metamorphosis in its name was coupled with an intensified commitment to ably perform its mandate. Through the years, the PAO has sown the seeds of dedicated service to the needy who are searching for justice. It is now reaping a good harvest – the trust and confidence of our clients and peers, and also of people from government and non-government offices, here and abroad.

From the time of my appointment as the nationwide head of the PAO in February 2001 up to now, our office has been given the chance to contribute in ably dealing with the raging issues of our time through the cases that have been entrusted to us.

This year, our anniversary month October, ushers us to four (4) events that have proven once again the PAO’s readiness to be used as an instrument of peace, truth and justice.

On Oct. 5, the PAO succeeded in seeking the release on recognizance of two (2) political prisoners detained in the Provincial Jail of Nueva Ecija. The PAO’s role in this case is relative to the confidence-building measure adopted and implemented by the government in relation with various rebel groups for the achievement of national unity, cooperation, stability, and peace in our country.

A week after our victory in Nueva Ecija, we went to the Sandiganbayan to file our Motion for Issuance of Alias Warrant of Arrest. I consider it a drastic move to reopen the Aquino-Galman case so that the court can arrive at a complete determination of the truth behind the assassination of former Senator Benigno Aquino.

The second week of October brought us to foreign shores. Last October 14, upon the invitation of Hon. Alberto G. Romulo, Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs, we went to Singapore to attend a judicial proceeding relative to the case of Guen Aguilar, accused in the murder case of Jane La Puebla.

On Oct. 15 to 17, I went to an international forum on Legal Aid held in an Asian country; invited not only to report on the programs of the PAO, but also to act as moderator, and discussant in two of the sessions in the said forum. I was happy to share with my fellow delegates the "PAO experience" in free legal aid. I was also honored to have been given the opportunity to present there the Public Attorney’s Office, as the defender of the poor and the face of a compassionate government.

We are fortunate to be in an Office that is admired for its dedication to its mandate and advocacies. Our 33rd anniversary is a celebration of the industry, and the free but of good quality legal services of the whole work force of the PAO nationwide, then and now.

Triumphs and trials are strewn in the path of public service. Triumphs will not lead us to complacency but to vigilance, and proactive service. Trials will challenge, rather than discourage us. We will not let our share of triumphs and trials to affect in any way the competence, courage, and compassion that characterize our work.

Alfred Tennyson said:

"And the sun went down, and the stars came out far over the summer sea,

But never a moment ceased the fight of the one and 53."

I say: "Never for a moment will the 1,048 public attorneys and 852 support staff cease fighting for the cause of the least and the lost. We will remain their tireless and fearless defenders, as well as advocates."