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15th CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S.B. No. 2400 
Introduced by Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
To reinforce the Office of the Solicitor General as an institution, this bill intends to give 
the Solicitor General a fixed tenn of seven years without reappointment, as well as fiscal 
autonomy. These measures are proposed in order to detach the Solicitor General, as principal 
lawyer of the Republic of the Philippines, from any political pressure and uphold the OSG's 
independence. 
As the Supreme Court remarked in Gonzales vs. Chavez, 205 SCRA 816: 
"x x x even when "confronted with a situation where one government office takes 
an adverse position against another government agency, as in this case, the 
Solicitor General should not refrain .from performing his duty as the lawyer of the 
government. It is incumbent upon him to present to the court what he considers 
would legally uphold the best interest of the government although it may run 
counter to a client's position. " 
With these complex duties of the Solicitor General, it is very important that he is free 
from any political pressure for such is critical for the proper perfonnance of his duty to espouse 
the interest of the State. 
The imperative role and function of the Office of the Solicitor General was best 
summarized by the Supreme Court as follows: "(E)ndowed with a broad perspective that spans 
the legal interest of virtually the entire government officaldom, the OSG may be expected to 
transcend the parochial concerns of a particular client agency and instead, promote and protect 
the public weal. Given such objectivity, it can discern, metaphorically speaking, the panoply that 
is the forest and not just the individual trees. Not merely will it strive for a legal victory 
circumscribed by the narrow interest of the client office or official, but as well, the vast concerns 
of the sovereign which it is committed to serve." (http://www.osg.gov.phl) 
Immediate passage of this bill is highly needed. 
64'Nn REVILLA, JR. 
Senator 


15th CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
) 
) 
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SENATE 
S.B. No. 2400 
Introduced by Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. 
AN ACT 
STRENGTHENING THE AUTONOMY AND INDEPENDENCE OF THE OFFICE OF THE 
SOLICITOR GENERAL AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Section 3 of Republic Act No. 9417 "An Act to Strengthen the Office of the 
Solicitor General by Expanding and Streamlining Its Bureaucracy Upgrading Employee Skills 
and Augmenting Benefits and Appropriating Funds Therefor and For Other Purposes," is hereby 
amended to read as follows: 
"SEC. 3, Standards. -The Solicitor General shall have cabinet rank, WITH A 
TERM OF SEVEN (7) YEARS WITHOUT REAPPOINTMENT, and the 
same qualifications for appointment, rank, prerogatives, salaries, allowances, 
benefits and privileges as the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals; an 
Assistant Solicitor General shall have the same qualifications for appointment, 
rank, prerogatives, salaries, allowances, benefits and privileges as the Associate 
Justice of the Court of Appeals. 
The 
qualifications 
for 
appointment, 
rank, 
prerogatives, 
salaries, 
ALLOWANCES, BENEFITS and privileges of solicitors shall be the same as 
judges, specified as follows: 
Senior State Solicitor -
State Solicitor II -
State Solicitor I -
Regional Trial Court Judge 
Metropolitan Trial Court Judge 
Municipal Trial Court in Cities 
Judge 
The Solicitor General shall determine the qualifications, prerogatives !\fld 
responsibilities of the Associate Solicitors," 
SECTION 2. Section 5 of Republic Act 9417 is hereby amended to read as follows: 
"SEC. 5, Benefits and Privileges, -Subject to the availability of funds, the Office 
of the Solicitor General may provide its employees with the following benefits: 
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(1) Health care services through a health maintenance organization (HMO). 
Expenses for the mandatory annual executive check-up of the Solicitor General, 
the Assistant Solicitors General and the Service Heads, shall. be for the account of 
the office; 
(2) All employees shall be covered by accident insurance policies procured by the 
office at its own expense during travels while in the performance of their official 
duties and functions; 
(3) Without prejudice to efficiency in the service, scholarship to deserving 
employees on official time and at the expense of the Office of the Solicitor 
General to enhance their academic growth and upgrade their knowledge and 
skills. Scholars under this provision shall be selected on the basis of competitive 
examination; [and] 
(4) A provident fund which shall consist of contributions made both by the Office 
of the Solicitor General and by its lawyers and employees to a common fund for 
the payment of benefits to such lawyers or employees or their heirs; AND, 
(5) OTHER PERQUISITES AND BENEFITS AS MAY BE DETERMINED 
BY THE SOLICITOR GENERAL IN THE EXIGENCIES OF THE 
SERVICE." 
SECTION 3. Section 11 of Republic Act No. 9417 is hereby amended to read as follows: 
"SEC. 11. Funding. - The funds required for the implementation of this 
Act, including those for health care services, insurance premiwns, professional, 
educational, registration fees, contracted transportation benefits, the other benefits 
above, shall be taken from: 
. 
(i) 
[five percent (5%)] TEN PERCENT (10%) of monetary awards OR 
ASSETS 
given by 
the Courts to 
client departments, 
agencies and 
instrumentalities of the Govermnent, including those under court-approved 
compromise agreements[;], AND TEN PERCENT (10%) OF ASSETS 
A WARDED 
TO 
THE 
GOVERNMENT 
IN 
FORFEITURE 
PROCEEDINGS; 
(ii) 
fifty percent (50%) of fees collected by the Special Committee on 
Naturalization; and 
(iii) 
all other income, fees and revenues earned and collected by the Office of 
the Solicitor General. 
For this purpose, the Office of the Solicitor General is hereby authorized to charge 
deputation, certification and other similar fees in the cases that it handles. 
The amounts collected pursuant to this section shall constitute a trust fund in the 
name of the Office of the Solicitor General to be managed and used by the 
Solicitor General to carry out the provisions of this Act. 
THE OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR GENERAL SHALL ENJOY FISCAL 
AUTONOMY TO ENSURE ITS INDEPENDENCE IN CARRYING OUT 
ITS ROLE AS THE PRINCIPAL LAW FIRM OF THE GOVERNMENT 
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, 
AND THE TRIBUNE OF THE PEOPLE. ANNUAL APPROPRIATIONS 
FOR THE OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR GENERAL SHALL BE 
AUTOMATICALLY AND REGULARLY RELEASED. THE OFFICE OF 
THE SOLICITOR GENERAL IS, LIKEWISE, AUTHORIZED TO 
BORROW FUNDS AND DISPOSE ITS ASSETS TO CARRY OUT THE 
PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT." . 
SECTION 4. Repealing Clause - All laws, executive orders, rules and regulations or any part 
thereof inconsistent herewith are deemed repealed, modified or amended accordingly. 
SECTION 5. Separability Clause. - In case any provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional 
or invalid, the other provisions hereof which are not affected thereby shall continue in full force 
and effect. 
. 
SECTION 6. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in two 
(2) national newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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