In
2001,
67.4
percent
of the
cases
handled
by the
Public
Attorney’s
Office (PAO)
in the
Ilocos
Region
have
been
handed
decisions
by the
courts.
This
was,
however,
lesser
compared
to the
71.6
percent
decided
by the
courts
in 2000.
Terminated
cases
either
result
into the
conviction
or
acquittal
of the
accused.
The PAO
gives
legal
assistance
to
people
who
could
not
afford
to have
their
own
lawyers.
Among
the type
of
cases,
quasi-judicial
cases
which
comprised
the
least
number
of cases
handled,
registered
the
highest
percentage
of
terminated
cases in
2000 and
2001 at
92.4
percent
and
76.3,
percent
respectively.
On the
other
hand,
civil
cases
posted
the
lowest
percentage
of
terminated
cases in
the same
period.
While
criminal
cases
comprised
68.4
percent
of the
terminated
cases in
2001,
only
66.9
percent
of these
have
been
decided.
Meanwhile,
Pangasinan,
accounting
for 64.4
percent
of the
21,624
cases
handled
by PAO
in 2001,
recorded
the
highest
percent
of cases
that
have
been
decided
at 74.0
percent.
A big
chunk of
it were
criminal
cases
with
66.3
percent.
Ilocos
Norte
had the
least
percent
of cases
handed
down
with
decisions
at 52.1
percent.
Majority
of these
terminated
cases
were
also
criminal
in
nature
at 85.7
percent.
In
terms of
cases
decided,
Ilocos
Norte
(from
49.9 to
52.1)
and
Ilocos
Sur
(from
57.1 to
65.8)
had
improved
from
their
performance
in the
previous
year. La
Union
(from
55.8 to
53.2)
and
Pangasinan
(from
81.1 to
74.0)
had
lower
percentage
of cases
decided
in 2001
compared
to their
2000
performance.
