Go beyond legal aid, lawyers told

Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen underscores the need for law practitioners to go beyond legal aid in making justice accessible to all.

This was the message of Leonen as he delivered the keynote address Access to Justice and Support for the Rule of Law Program Close Out Event of the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative held at the Rizal Park Hotel, Manila on Friday, 15 September.

"Access to justice, therefore, means not only explaining or translating the law for our people, but constantly revisiting its interpretation, so it becomes more responsive to their needs and more relevant to our present contexts."

Leonen recognized the gains of the ACCESS Program in the country over the years, and called on what still needs to be done to ensure accessibility to justice for all.

He pointed to the realities on the ground, and how access to justice means different things to people, but most especially to the marginalized.

"In spirit, it can be summarized as being seen, being heard, being treated with decency, respect and dignity that one truly deserves." He also mentioned corruption and the disempowering stereotypes that maintain the status quo of oppression and injustice in society.

In the face of these social realities, and for the law to truly be responsive and relevant, Justice Leonen urged members of the legal profession to go beyond legal aid to make the law relevant.