The Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to open on March 8 its Action Center (DOJAC) in Barangay Pagudpud in San Fernando City, La Union to provide legal and mediation services, and referral of concerns sought by residents of Region 1, particularly from the poor and less privileged persons.
The opening of DOJAC Region 1 will be led by DOJ Assistant Secretary Margaret V. Catillo-Padilla and Regional Prosecutor Nonnatus Caesar R. Rojas.
In a statement, the DOJ said that DOJAC is “a DOJ frontline service which performs legal advice, referral and mediation services to walk-in, phone call, Facebook, and e-mail clients.”
“The people of Region I -- composed of provinces of Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, La Union and Pangasinan -- especially those belonging to the marginalized sector will soon have access to the free legal assistance from the DOJ,” it said.
Also, the DOJAC will act as “receiving office of the Task Force Against Corruption created pursuant to the directive of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to investigate allegations of corruption in the entire government and the designated Permanent Action Team that handles hotline 8888 Citizens’ Complaints filed pursuant to Executive Order No. 6 s. 2016,” it also said.
Already, there are three DOJAC regional offices which are located in Cebu City for Region VII, Cagayan de Oro City for Region X, and Davao City for Region XI.
Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra had said that there would be more DOJAC offices for set up this year.
The DOJ said that its DOJAC offices had served 16,105 persons in 2021.
DOJAC was established on Feb. 28, 1985 as a Public Assistance Center and was renamed Public Assistance and Complaints Unit on May 3, 1989. Under Department Order No. 204 issued in 1995, the unit was renamed DOJAC.