Human rights lawyer Jose Manuel 'Chel' Diokno said he would push for free legal aid in every barrio to provide ordinary citizens immediate access to legal assistance at no cost.
During the CNN‘s “The Filipino Votes Senatorial Forum” on Sunday night, Diokno noted that absence of access to legal services by ordinary citizens is the primary problem plaguing the country’s justice system.
The veteran lawyer recalled that when he established a Free Legal Helpdesk in his Facebook page, he received almost 20,000 legal questions from ordinary people in just six months.
“Doon ko na-realize na wala silang (That’s when I realized they have no) access sa (to) free o (or) low-cost legal assistance. Kaya ang gusto ko sanang mangyari ay magkaroon tayo ng libreng serbisyong legal sa bawa't baryo (That is why I want to happen is we should have free legal services in every barrio),” Diokno said.
He suggested to tap the services of law graduates and legal aid clinics from different law schools so that the coverage of this essential public service could be expanded.
Diokno also committed to strengthen the country’s barangay justice system by strengthening the capability of the Lupong Tagapamayapa in dealing with legal issues among residents.
Diokno, who is running for senator under Vice President Leni Robredo’s ticket, is the head of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) that provides free legal aid to victims of abuse and poor Filipinos.
READ: Diokno leads lawyers in aiding families of EJK victims
He established a free legal help desk during the pandemic to help address the legal problems of poor Filipinos who cannot afford to get the services of a lawyer.
“Mata-tap din natin ang mga legal aid clinics ng iba't ibang mga law schools para matulungan nila ang ating (We can tap the legal aid clinics from various law schools to help our) Lupong Tagapamayapa. At the same time, para makapag-consult nang libre ang mga taga-barangay (the barangay residents can consult for free),” he said.
Strengthening the country’s barangay justice system will also help unclog the court dockets as cases can already be resolved in the barangay level, Diokno pointed out.
“We really need to strengthen our barangay justice system upang hindi na umabot sa korte ang kaso (so that the case will not reach the court),” he said.