LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte (PIA) – The Department of Justice (DOJ) continues to extend various free legal assistance to the public in the Ilocos region through the DOJ-Action Center (DOJAC) established in San Fernando City, La Union.
According to lawyer Christian Paul Ulpindo, DOJ regional prosecutor, the agency has successfully launched action offices in every region in the country to fulfill their mandate to provide justice to every Filipino, especially those belonging to the marginalized sector.
He explained the DOJAC acts on complaints, requests for legal assistance, and queries of walk-in clients, as well as telephone consultations for those who cannot come personally to their office.
Clients will be serviced by lawyers or paralegal officers for the provision of legal advice, referral, and mediation assistance.
Ulpindo added that members of the National Prosecutors Service (NPS) and Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) are managing the Regional DOJAC.
“We want to stress that our operations in the DOJAC are continuous. In fact, we also refer our clients to the right government agencies or aligned agencies who can settle or help with their complaints so that the right government service will be given to our clients,” he said.
Moreover, the DOJAC is also designated as the receiving center of the Task Force Against Corruption (TFAC) and focal unit for 8888 concerns and complaints.
“As of now, we don’t have available data on how many clients we service but I can say that we are successful in entertaining complaints here at DOJAC. Because we really are promoting our action center. We plan to collaborate with barangay captains in the future for us to inform them that we have this kind of service. We want to inform the people that there is an office they can come to,” he added.
Since it was established in 1985, which was then called Public Assistance Center, the DOJAC has served as the frontline arm of the DOJ in providing legal counseling, assistance, and endorsement of clients to appropriate government agencies as well as the conduct of mediation, conferences, and oaths.
In Region 1, the DOJAC was established in 2022 in La Union.
Clients can visit DOJAC Region 1 at MXM Commercial, Pindangan Road, Brgy. Pagudpud in San Fernando City, La Union or contact their hotline number 072-609-1639 or email at [email protected]. (MJTAB/EJFG, PIA Ilocos Norte)
