ATTORNEY General Edward Manibusan has asked the Senate to help protect the autonomy of the Office of the Attorney General.
Manibusan met with the Senate Judiciary, Government and Law Committee chair, Sen. Celina R. Babauta, on Monday to discuss “areas of mutual interest and concern.”
During the meeting, the AG also asked the senator to support legislation that would grant his office the authority to hire employees exempt from the civil service.
In a follow-up letter on Tuesday, Manibusan provided Babauta with a copy of a draft bill which would also allow the AG to permit the retention of separate legal counsels for particular matters if such action would be in the public interest.
The AG told Babauta that granting his office such authority fulfills the constitutional mandate that created the office as an independent agency within the executive branch, and protects it from unnecessary political interference by other members of the executive branch.
Manibusan said the AG’s investigative division, which performs essential law enforcement functions directly under his control and direction, must have clear statutory authority to serve as the investigative arm of the AG’s office.
He said the AG’s investigators perform tasks that are fundamental in implementing the full range of duties and responsibilities from criminal prosecution to consumer protection to administrative and civil division investigations.
Having a statute that sets forth the AG investigation division’s law enforcement functions will protect the integrity of the AG’s office and its constitutional mission, Manibusan said.
Edward Manibusan
