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University of Baguio opens Legal Assistance Center

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla leads the ribbon-cutting and blessing ceremony. He is joined by UB President Javier Herminio Bautista, School of Law Dean Atty. John Ray Libiran, and DOJ Undersecretaries Raul Vasquez, Jose Cadiz Jr., and Clinical Legal Education Program (CLEP) Head Atty. Cherry Dane Agustin. (Photo by: RMC, PIA-CAR)

BAGUIO CITY (PIA) -- The University of Baguio (UB) formally opened its Legal Assistance Center which aims to provide free legal services for those who cannot afford lawyers.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla  led the ribbon cutting and blessing ceremony of the facility  on Friday, September 8, 2023.

Joining the Secretary are DOJ Undersecretaries Raul Vasquez and Jose Cadiz Jr., UB President Javier Herminio Bautista, and UB School of Law Dean John Ray Libiran. 

Sec. Remulla congratulated UB for having a legal assistance center which he said is very important in legal education.

He stressed that the legal assistance center is very important in helping the people of Baguio and other Filipinos who are in need of legal aid, especially those who cannot afford the price of legal services.

“In our country where 100 million Filipinos live in peace and harmony with each other, the enforcement of human rights is very important and fortunately or unfortunately, many of our brethren cannot afford the price of legal services, that is why the concept of legal assistance, legal aid was born,” Remulla said in his message.

“The role of a legal assistance center is very important to all of us and it will become more important later on as the days go on and as the years pass. The School of Law of the University of Baguio will be a bigger college, it will be serving more years and it will be blazing a trail of legal traditions that will be followed here in Baguio,” the Secretary added.

The Secretary believes that through the years, the legal assistance center in UB will continue to grow along with the School of Law and will serve more people. 

For his part, President Bautista said the Legal Assistance Center is very close to their hearts as it would serve the people in the community where they are, the community of Baguio City.

He added that the opening of the center is the start of a long and successful legal clinic that will serve Baguio City and the nearby communities.

Dean Libiran said that the UB Legal Assistance Center primarily provides free legal aid to individuals who are in need of legal services but are unable to afford the services of a private counsel.

He added that while the center provides accessible legal services to the public, it also provides opportunities for UB law students to gain valuable experiences in legal practice while giving back to the community.

UB President Javier Herminio Bautista
UB School of Law Dean John Ray Libiran

Upholding the mission “Serving the Least, the Lost, and the Last,” the legal services offered are administered by qualified law student practitioners who apply their legal knowledge under the Clinical Legal Education Program (CLEP) headed by Atty. Cherry Dane Agustin.

The CLEP is an essential educational approach and teaching method that is mandated by the Supreme Court and the Legal Education Board. This program has been developed with the aim of providing law students with the necessary practical knowledge and skills required to offer effective legal aid.

The services offered include legal advice, preparation of legal documents and pleadings, as well as assistance with the preparation and execution of affidavits, contracts and other simple documents.

Also present during the opening ceremonies was Baguio City Councilor Jose Molintas who also commended UB for opening a facility which he said will serve as a training ground for the young and incoming lawyers,  and at the same time provide free legal services to the residents of Baguio and from nearby areas. (RMC/PIA-CAR)

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