SENATOR Robin Padilla has even offered himself to be the campaign manager only to persuade Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief Persida Rueda-Acosta to run for senator in the 2025 midterm elections.
Determined to convince Acosta, Padilla went to the PAO’s central office and talked with her but she remained silent despite calls from many sectors including those from indigent Filipinos to try joining the Senate race.
“PAO chief Atty. Persida Acosta is a kind of outstanding public servant who is highly-qualified to be a member of the Senate and I am witness for her competence and dedication in serving the Filipino people especially the millions of indigents,” Padilla said.
He reportedly even offered himself to be Acosta’s campaign manager should she decide to run for senator in the 2025 midterm polls.
The senator, who emerged No. 1 during the last elections, also talked with newly-installed Deputy Chief Public Attorney Erwin Erfe in his bid to persuade the chief public attorney to try running for a Senate post.
Acosta was gratified by the support thrown to her by Padilla but she admitted that politics is far from her mind for now.
”I must admit, I truly enjoy my job at PAO, especially when I see an increasing number of Filipinos who trust PAO to help them seek justice.”
“Let us see where my destiny will bring me, but for now I must focus on my job as the chief public attorney; we still have more to do, especially for our indigent kababayan,” she added.
Acosta, who earlier celebrated her 23 years as PAO head, has received multiple awards from civic and nongovernment organizations that have recognized her for helping millions of disadvantaged and indigent Filipinos seek justice, among others.
With the Social Weather Station survey in 2022 emerging PAO and its public lawyers as most trusted among the justice sector, Acosta said she’s overwhelmed by trust given by the people, particularly those at the poor sector to her and PAO’s entire public lawyers.
Despite emerging to be one of the top picks for the senatorial race in the 2025 midterm elections based on a December 2023 SWS survey, Acosta said she welcomed the poll results but she would continue serving the people as PAO chief.
