The city attorney.
Section 19
SEC. 19. The city attorney.—There shall be a city attorney who shall be the chief legal adviser of the city, and who shall have the following general powers and duties: He shall represent the city in all civil cases wherein the city or any officer thereof, in his official capacity, is a party. He shall, when required, draw ordinances, contracts, bonds, leases, and other instruments involving any interest of the city, and inspect and pass upon any such instruments already drawn. He shall give his opinion in writing, when requested by the Mayor or the Council, upon any question relating to the city or the rights or duties of any city officer. He shall, whenever it is brought to his knowledge that any city officer is guilty of neglect or misconduct in office, or that any person, firm or corporation holding or exercising any franchise or public privilege from the city, has failed to comply with any condition, or to pay any consideration mentioned in the grant of such franchise or privilege, investigate or cause to be investigated the same and report to the Mayor. He shall have charge of the prosecution of all crimes and misdemeanors and violations of city ordinances triable in the Municipal Court. The provincial fiscal of Davao shall have charge of all prosecutions of crimes, misdemeanors, and violations of city ordinances appealed to, or brought before, the Court of First Instance of Davao. He shall investigate all charges of crimes, misdemeanors, and violations of city ordinances and prepare the necessary informations or make the necessary complaints against the persons accused, and discharge all other duties in respect to criminal prosecutions enjoined upon provincial fiscals generally. He may conduct investigations in respect to crimes, misdemeanors, and violations of ordinances and for this purpose may, by subpoena, summon witnesses to appear and testify under oath before him, and the attendance of an absent or recalcitrant witness may be enforced by application to the Municipal Court or the Court of First Instance of the Province of Davao. He shall cause to be investigated the causes of sudden deaths which have not been satisfactorily explained and when there is suspicion that the causes arose from unlawful acts or omissions of other persons or from foul play. For that purpose he may cause autopsies to be made, in case it is deemed necessary, and shall be entitled to demand and receive for the purposes of such investigations or autopsies the aid of the city health officer. He shall, when directed by the Mayor, institute and prosecute in the city's interest a suit on any bond, lease, or other contract and upon any breach or violation thereof.