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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider SC lauds IBP's free legal aid to poor, vulnerable, underprivileged Filipinos

SC lauds IBP's free legal aid to poor, vulnerable, underprivileged Filipinos

Published Jul 6, 2023 08:18 am
The Supreme Court (SC) lauded the Integrated Bar of the Philippines' (IBP) commitment to provide free legal assistance to the poor, vulnerable, and underprivileged Filipinos. Through Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa, the SC said that “free legal aid is no longer just an aspiration for some, but a reality for all.” Justice Caguioa led the inauguration and blessing of the National Center for Legal Aid (NCLA) hall at the IBP’s building in Pasig City on Thursday, July 6. In his speech, Caguioa said the unveiling of the NCLA hall has been most encouraging as it reinforced the IBP’s commitment “to ensuring that those of us who are most disadvantaged and increasingly vulnerable can have a fighting chance at safeguarding their rights and their fair day in the courts.” “Today’s unveiling of the new National Center for Legal Aid facilitates the access to essential legal and social services, and widens the scope of the reach of the IBP’s public service. With its technology-ready design and its new and more convenient location, this move strengthens the justice system’s efforts to embrace the demands of the Filipinos whose legal needs may yet be contemplated by the prevailing system,” he said. “And while challenges abound in the area of bringing access to legal aid to all, this new NCLA Hall is certainly a significantly optimistic step in that direction,” he added. He pointed out that the latest initiative of the IBP “energizes the legal communities’ work of restoring the dignity to so many Filipinos who are truly the least, the last and the lost, and ultimately, strengthens the country’s democratic fabric within which all our lives are woven.” In a press statement, the SC’s public information office (PIO) said that former IBP national president Burt M. Estrada emphasized the IBP’s resolve that that “the heart of IBP is free legal aid services.” IBP National President Antonio C. Pido expressed gratitude to Estrada’s leadership for the NCLA legacy.  Pido called on all IBP members to maximize the legacy and continue working together to better the lawyers’ organization. The PIO said that the NCLA “is attuned with the Supreme Court’s objective of strengthening legal aid initiatives under the banner of its Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI).” It said that under the SPJI, the IBP, which receives a yearly subsidy from the Judiciary, “shall also strengthen its legal aid program by using the subsidy to require the mandatory service of its members as supervising lawyers for Law Student Practitioners under Rule 138-A, to be assigned on the basis of IBP Chapter membership in the areas where law student clinics operate; and, set up and allow free computer use with internet access in their Chapter offices for their members who need the same.” It also said the SC and the IBP convened the National Legal Aid Summit in Bacolod City in November 2022 “to develop a roadmap that will amplify, provide, and sustain avenues of access towards the constitutional guarantee of adequate legal assistance through various plenary discussions, dialogues, keynote addresses, and breakout sessions. The summit was held in partnership with the Philippine Association of Law Schools, the Free Legal Assistance Group, and Alternative Law Groups.

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