Filipinos can now get legal advice from the government’s eGovPH online application.
“May sasagot na abogado (A lawyer will respond to the queries),” assured Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) Chief Persida V. Rueda-Acosta during an interview on PTV’s Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.
Acosta explained that eGovPH is similar to the PAO’s 24-hour hotline where lawyers have been assigned to take in calls.
“Mag-aasign kami at least two lawyers and two staff (The PAO will assign at least two lawyers and two staff for the government app),” she assured.
Acosta pointed out “hindi magkakaroon ng serbisyo kung walang naka-duty (there won’t any service if no one is on duty).”
“Kailangan may naka-duty (there should be someone on duty),” she stressed.
Acosta explained: “Napaka-importante kasi kapag may tanong sa batas ay sasagot agad dahil hindi naman lahat ng Filipino ay nag-aral ng batas at ‘yung mga bago at lumang batas kailangan ipaalam natin sa ating mga kababayan (it’s really important that someone will answer immediately concerning questions on laws because not all Filipinos studied the laws and we have to get the public informed about the new and old laws.”
The Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) launched the eGovPH app in October last year.
“It enhances transparency, accessibility, and efficiency by providing online platforms for various services, such as business registration, tax payments, and public document access,” said DICT Undersecretary David Almirol said during the launch.