VP Sara agrees to work with IBP on legal aid

VICE President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said that she is open to partnering with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) to give legal assistance to public school teachers with regard to their problems with contracts and loan obligations.

She told this during the fellowship night of the IBP’s 50th Founding Anniversary held at the Waterfront Insular Hotel in Davao City on Thursday.

“I am looking forward to partnering with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines to help our public school teachers with regard to their problems on their contracts and unpaid loans,” Duterte said.

Duterte said that this was one of the pieces of advice given to her by the justices of the Supreme Court on helping public school teachers with their loan obligations.

She also told her fellow lawyers that the Department of Education is pursuing two tracks to try and solve the problems in basic education.

“One is the traditional track — which is to hire more teachers, to build more classrooms, to address the problems of the learners of school infrastructures, books and gadgets,” Duterte said.

The other track, she added, is by leveraging the available technology worldwide by creating electronic classrooms, subscribing to electronic libraries and books, and amplifying the best teachers through technology.

She lauded the IBP for serving the public and noting that their predecessors have been “unwavering advocates of justice, balance, and transformative change within the system,”

The IBP, Duterte said, also has evolved to become more responsive and more attuned to the needs of the times and the accompanying technological advancements that come with modernization.

“Yet much remains to be unfolded as the institution embarks on a new chapter of bolder strides in honor of justice, equality, fairness for all, effectiveness, and efficiency of our service as defenders of the law,” she said.

She said that technology has helped not only law students and educators, but also in professional practice such as the implementation of virtual courtrooms and the use of artificial intelligence and software programs for legal research and contract analysis.

“Indeed, with modern technology within our reach, the future of legal practice seems bright and optimistic,” she said.