Section 28. The City Attorney, his Assistants, his duties. —

There shall be a city attorney who shall be the chief of the law department of the city, a first assistant city attorney who shall be the assistant chief, a second assistant city attorney, two third assistant city attorneys, and five fourth assistant city attorneys, who shall discharge their duties under the general supervision of the Secretary of Justice. The city attorneys shall be the chief legal adviser of the city and all offices and departments thereof and shall have the following general powers and duties:

1. He shall represent the city in all civil cases wherein the city or any officer thereof in his official capacity is a party.

2. He shall attend, when required by a resolution of the City Council, meetings of the City Council, draw ordinances, contracts, bonds, leases, and other documents involving any interest of the city, and inspect and pass upon all such documents already drawn.

3. He shall give his opinion in writing, when requested by the Mayor or Council, upon any question relating to the city, or the rights or duties of any city officer.

4. He shall, whenever it is brought to his knowledge that any city officer or employee 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 the same and report to the Mayor.

5. 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.

6. He shall prosecute and defend all civil actions related to or connected with any city officer or interest.

7. He shall also have charge of the prosecution of all crimes, misdemeanors, and violations of city ordinances, in the Court of First Instance and the municipal courts of the city, and shall discharge all the duties in respect to the criminal prosecutions enjoined by law upon provincial fiscals.

8. He shall cause to be investigated all charges of crimes, misdemeanors, and violations of ordinances and have the necessary information or complaints prepared or made against the persons accused. He or any of his assistants may conduct such investigations by taking oral evidence of reputable witnesses, and for this purpose may issue subpoena, summon witnesses to appear and testify under oath before him, and the attendance or evidence of an absent or recalcitrant witness may be enforced by application to the municipal court or the Court of First Instance. No witness summoned to testify under this section shall be under obligation to give any testimony which tend to incriminate himself.

9. He shall cause to be investigated the cause of sudden deaths which have not been satisfactorily explained and when there is suspicion that the cause arose from the unlawful acts or omissions of other persons, or from foul play. For that purpose, he may cause autopsies to be made and shall be entitled to demand and receive for purposes of such investigations or autopsies, subject to the rules and conditions previously established by the Secretary of Justice, the aid of the medico-legal section of the National Bureau of Investigation. In case the City Attorney deems it necessary to have further expert assistance for the satisfactory performance of his duties in relation with medico-legal matters or knowledge, including the giving of medical testimony in the courts of justice, he shall request the same, in the same manner and subject to the same rules and conditions as above specified, from the medico-legal officer of the said bureau who shall thereupon furnish the assistance required, in accordance with his powers and faculties.

10. He shall at times render such professional services as the Mayor or City Council may require, and shall have such powers and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by law or ordinance.