The Department of Justice was founded on September 26, 1898 under the Philippine Revolutionary Government of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. A year later, the American Military Force established the office of "The Attorney of the Supreme Court" in place of the department. This new office was renamed "The Office of the Attorney General" after the Americans put up a civilian government on June 11, 1901. On September 1, 1901, the office became the Department of Finance and Justice. In the 1916 government reorganization, the Department of Justice became a separate entity and was given executive supervision over all courts of first instance and other inferior courts. The Department continued to function as such under the Philippine Commonwealth in 1935.
When Manila was overran by the Japanese invaders in 1942, the Department of Justice was transformed into a commission. Under the civilian government established by the Japanese in 1943, it became a ministry. In 1945, the government of the Philippine Commonwealth was reestablished and some government offices were reactivated, among them, the Department of Justice. The Department was carried over under the Philippine Republic established on July 4, 1946.
With the adoption of the 1973 Constitution and after the declaration of Martial Law, the Department again became a ministry. In the same year, administrative supervision over all courts was transferred from the ministry to the Supreme Court. The ministry continued to function after the 1986 EDSA Revolution and the adoption of the Freedom Constitution. The 1987 Constitution reestablished the Department of Justice.
The Office of the Secretary of Justice (OSEC) is composed of the offices of the Secretary of Justice and his/her four Undersecretaries and three Assistant Secretaries.
OSEC has six major work divisions, namely, the Legal Staff; the Board of Pardons and Parole; the Office of the Chief State Prosecutor; and the Technical Staff. The two remaining work units of OSEC perform housekeeping chores. These are the Financial and Management Service and the Administrative Service.
*Legal Staff Department Proper *National Prosecution Service *Board of Pardons and Parole *Public Defender's Office
Attached Agencies
All attached agencies of the Department of Justice are also offices.
The Department of Justice pursues its mandate through these nine agencies: *Bureau of Immigration *National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) *Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) *Parole and Probation Administration (PPA) *Public Attorney's Office (PAO) *Land Registration Authority (LRA) *Commission on the Settlement of Land Problems (COSLAP) *Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) *Office of the Solicitor General
