photo from DOJ facebook page
At the heart of the Marcos administration’s “Bagong Pilipinas” is the Department of Justice’s Action Center (DOJAC), which served 500 percent more Filipinos in 2024 than it did in the previous year.
When President Marcos launched “Bagong Pilipinas”—a name derived from a catchy campaign jingle used in the 2022 presidential elections—in a rally attended by some 400,000 Filipinos in January 2024, it came with a message of inclusivity, a promise that in this new and prosperous Philippines he hopes to build, every one is invited.
But a “Bagong Pilipinas” where justice remains elusive and reserved only for the rich is not the society that the President envisions. It is, in fact, the anti-thesis to what he hopes to leave as his legacy.
So, it is with this in mind that the DOJAC entered into several agreements and partnerships last year and by November 2024 reported that it has multiplied five times the number of clients it served for the year 2024 compared to 2023.
The staggering percentage? 500 percent.
The DOJAC, the DOJ said, assisted a total of 12,879 clients as of November 30, 2024, or roughly five times more compared to 2,815 clients in 2023.
In commending the DOJAC for surpassing its organizational goals and delivering real justice for all, DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla was reminded of the agency’s mandate to stand for everybody.
“Public service is the cornerstone of every State where the absence of which makes the latter cease to exist,” he said.
“As an agency mandated to uphold the rule of law, it is our duty to rise up in every occasion by ensuring access to justice for all and delivering our functions with excellence. Denying access to justice is denying people’s dignity,” the Secretary added.
The DOJAC was established to act on public complaints and inquiries and provide free legal services, such as legal advice, drafting of documents, and referrals to relevant government agencies, among others.
Members of the National Prosecution Service and the Public Attorneys Office (PAO) are manning the regional DOJACs.
When the Marcos administration took over a lackluster—the very opposite of what it was mandated to do—action center, it set forth a plan to ensure that free legal assistance will be available to every Filipino, no matter their social status.
It also signified the start of the President’s “Bagong Pilipinas,” where the rule of law and respect to human rights become a standard rather than an option.
In his speech at the 20th National Convention of Lawyers in Cebu City last January 30, 2025, the Chief Executive spoke of his deep admiration for lawyers and the role they play in the primacy of rule of law.
“There is no better moment than this to reaffirm our shared commitment to the rule of law— a commitment to ensuring that justice remains the bedrock upon which our democracy stands strong and unshaken,” he said.
“The law must serve all Filipinos—not just a privileged few. Justice must find its way to the margins, where it is most needed—reaching the underserved, the unseen, [and] the unheard. After all, the Constitution is meant to be wielded with purpose and compassion, especially for those who need it the most,” the President stressed.
Regionalization of DOJACs and the Katarungan Caravan
DOJAC itself is not an unfamiliar territory to the President. It was, after all, established under his father’s administration on February 28, 1985 as a Public Assistance Center and was renamed Public Assistance and Complaints Unit on May 3, 1989.
Later, under Department Order No. 204 on June 22, 1995, the complaint units became known as the DOJ Action Center.
When it was clear that there is more need for free legal service in far-flung areas, the DOJ set forth to regionalize the DOJAC by establishing centers in key provinces across the country.
To date, the DOJ has six DOJACS spread over Regions 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 11, reaching the underserved communities and staying true to the agency’s thrust of making justice available to all Filipinos.
During the official launching of the DOJAC satellite office in Cebu City, which will serve those in Region 7, Secretary Remulla underscored the importance of bringing these services closer to Filipinos.
“As a country composed of islands divided by the seas, it has always been a challenge to deliver essential government services from the nation’s capital of Manila to the different regions across the Philippines,” he said.
“With PBBM’s Bagong Pilipinas campaign that no Filipino shall be left behind, we bridge our geographical gaps to deliver justice to each and everyone in real time,” the DOJ chief added.
The accomplishment of the action center in 2024 proved the need for it in every region as it was clear Filipinos from far-flung areas depend on government services.
The November 2024 Data from DOJAC showed that of the 12,879 clients served last year, 7,632 of them were walk-in clients, while the rest needed notarization services and endorsements and referrals to other government agencies.
The center also led to the organization of the Katarungan Caravan, which aimed to provide the same free legal aid to persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) at the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).
During its first leg in July 2024, around 40 lawyers from the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), private lawyers, and paralegals joined the DOJ Action Center in offering legal services to qualified PDLs.
A second iteration was conducted the following month of August at the Medium Security Compound, New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.
“The only way our PDLs can access justice is through this legal aid. We need to understand and address the legal needs of our PDLs,” Secretary Remulla said.
“This is a fundamental right that has to be given to the disadvantaged and underprivileged members of our society,” he added.
The lawyers tapped by DOJAC offered a range of services for the PDLs, including drafting of legal documents for qualified PDLs under the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) program, parole and executive clemency, and the preparation of indorsements, referrals, and requests to BuCor, Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP), PAO, and other government agencies.
The DOJ chief said the Katarungan Caravan was “just one among the many projects in store” for PDLs under the Marcos administration as it aims to reintegrate them into society “as reformed and more productive citizens vital for the country’s progress.“
But the success of the DOJAC and its programs wouldn’t have been possible without the partnerships and agreements that the DOJ entered into the moment President Marcos took his oath.
Last year, Secretary Remulla signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the DOJ and the Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS) to widen and boost the country’s access to legal services by taking in DOJAC-recommended indigent Filipinos to their legal aid clinics and promoting the DOJ’s internship programs to its member-schools.
The empowerment of the DOJACs through its regionalization and partnerships proved the Marcos administration’s commitment to the rule of law and the equitable administration of justice for all.
Such “unwavering efforts,” the DOJ chief said, is a testament to the President’s “Bagong Pilipinas” slogan.
“With this initiative, we unconditionally open the doors of justice for the welfare of more Filipinos, regardless of their social status,” he said of the DOJAC’s partnership with PALS.
‘Great Protector of the Constitution’
Talking to lawyers during their 20th National Convention, Marcos urged them to uphold truth and fairness in practicing their profession, sharing that he has a certain fondness for the legal profession because of his wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.
“I have seen through her how lawyers devote yourselves to mentoring aspiring lawyers. Also championing free legal clinics, providing assistance to the underserved. These actions remind us that beyond the intellect and skill required by law, it is compassion and service that truly defines the essence of this noble profession,” he noted.
About a decade ago, the Philippine Constitution Association awarded the President the title of “Great Protector of the Constitution,” the irony of which was not lost to him because he was a non-lawyer, or a layman as he said in his speech.
But he said that the “beauty” and “enduring power” of the Constitution, in ensuring that the rights of all are protected, lie in the ability of “the most unexpected candidates” like him to be entrusted with protecting its principles.
“And there lies the heart of the matter: Being a vanguard of the Constitution transcends political affiliation, family legacy, profession. At its core, it is about ensuring that justice is more than just an ideal written on paper, it is about ensuring that it exists in the real world, in the lives of every ordinary citizen,” he said.
True to his words when he launched the “Bagong Pilipinas” campaign, the President had found himself hard at work not just in suddenly finding himself the defender and the protector of the Constitution, but in putting plans in motion, in taking gigantic steps, in setting the stage for a Philippines where justice, rule of law, and equality are guaranteed rights rather than privileges.
