The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) has formed a committee which will assist voters and help in the prosecution of election violators.
In its social media post, the IBP said it has set up the Chapter Election Reform Committee in line with its commitment in a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE).
It said the committee was formed during a meeting last Feb. 9 that was led by IBP President Burt M. Estrada with IBP governors and chapter officers.
The IBP said the committee aims “to carry out its program for election accountability and reform and for legal assistance and support to the Filipino voters on during the campaign period and election day.”
On Nov. 29, 2021, the IBP signed the MOA with LENTE which is headed by former Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman Christian S. Monsod “to work together and mutually support each other for the upcoming national and local elections in 2022.”
Estrada had said that under the MOA, regional chapters and legal aid offices will assist in the filing of cases against election law violators “to serve as examples and to deter future violators.”
He also said “the IBP will be helping educate and capacitate the public on the different electoral laws, issues, and processes.”
“Founder and Honorary Chairman of LENTE, Atty. Christian S. Monsod, underscored the critical role of lawyers and law students in guaranteeing the maintenance of law and order and in ensuring that the voice of individuals, particularly those coming from vulnerable sectors, is heard,” the IBP said.
It also said that LENTE executive director, lawyer Ona Caritos, has called the MOA between the two organizations “a significant undertaking for the legal profession, through the IBP, in the pursuit and furtherance of its advocacies to elevate the standards of the legal profession, improve the administration of justice and enable the Bar to discharge its public responsibility more effectively.”