FIL-AM Atty. Benjamin M. Acob is a Maui County prosecuting Attorney.
Appointed on January 8, 2007 by then Mayor Charmaine Tavares and approved by the Maui City Council, Acob is known for his relentless pursuit of justice.
"We will be aggressive in our approach to the more serious cases and repeat offenders," he said to the Ilocos Time.
"Second, we realize the possibility of rehabilitation in less serious cases and first-time offenders, and also probation when there is a basis. More effort will be given to prevention, especially with our youth. We also need prevention programs to help with domestic violence, perhaps to change the home environments where adults grew up thinking that violence is normal because it happens so frequently in their lives."
He is the first Filipino to head the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney in Maui County, according to Ilocos Times.
Originally from Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, Acob migrated to the US in the 1970’s on a student visa.
His family settled in the Big Island of Hawaii where Acob graduated from Laupahoehoe High School. He earned a BA degree in Psychology and Sociology at the University of Hawaii at Hilo in 1981.
After working menial jobs for a few years where he cleaned restaurants, washed dishes, and worked as a cashier in a liquor store he got accepted and eventually graduating from law school at the University of Hawaii, William S. Richardson School of Law on Oahu.
As prosecuting attorney for the County of Maui, Acob is responsible for handling cases related to District Court, Family Court, Circuit Court and Appeals Section, for both adults and juveniles, among other legal responsibilities.
Acob also is currently the two term president for the Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce as a Director, Vice-President and served as former Legal Counsel for the Filipino Chamber of Commerce: Maui Chapter and the Maui Filipino Community Council.
( Published January 13, 2010 in Asian Journal Los Angeles p. B2 )
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