Volunteers surge as Katarungan Caravan delivers speedy justice

In the Friday, 12 September episode of DAILY TRIBUNE's digital lifestyle show Pairfect, Department of Justice (DOJ) Undersecretary Atty. Margarita Gutierrez shared that more lawyers have committed to the Katarungan Caravan, a program aimed at freeing more persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).

Gutierrez, the only female undersecretary of the DOJ, currently heads the DOJ Action Center, which oversees three major programs: the Katarungan Caravan for local government units (LGUs), the Katarungan Caravan for PDLs, and the DOJ Action Lecture Series.

"All three are my favorites, I’m equally passionate about them. But my heart is really for the Katarungan Caravan for PDLs," she said.

She recalled her earliest exposure to PDLs when she accompanied her mother, former DOJ Secretary Merceditas Gutierrez, on a visit to a women’s correctional facility. Many of the inmates, she noted, were imprisoned for estafa cases. Most were single mothers or mothers whose husbands weren’t working.

"When asked why they committed estafa, most said, ‘Because my kids had no food. I needed to do this,’” she recalled.

That experience, she said, solidified her resolve to become a lawyer and help PDLs. While Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) lawyers exist, she noted that they are often overwhelmed by the number of clients.

“So we thought, let’s create a program inviting lawyers from legal aid societies and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines who are willing to render free legal aid to PDLs," she said.

From about 200–300 lawyers when the program started last year, the number of volunteers has steadily grown.

“Private lawyers are so excited to join us,” Gutierrez said. “May mga suki na nga kami, because they find it fulfilling, it reminds them why they became lawyers in the first place.”

She cited a viral case last month of a woman PDL who served 23 years in prison for a crime that, upon review, merited only 30 days. The woman was convicted of murder after retaliating against her alleged rapist but later had her conviction modified by the Supreme Court to a lesser charge of physical injuries.

Due to paperwork delays and automatic appeals, she remained incarcerated for more than two decades. With the help of the Katarungan Caravan and partner lawyers from the Legal Aid Society, a petition for habeas corpus was filed, leading to her release on Christmas Day.

Today, Gutierrez said, the woman now works in a law office and is being assisted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the National Housing Authority (NHA) in securing housing.

“At least some sort of justice for the loss,” she emphasized.

Gutierrez admitted that her role is emotionally challenging.

“Stories like these make me feel both emotional and enraged,” she said. But she shared her mother’s advice that keeps her grounded: “Always be kind and be patient.”