DOJ eyes permanent Katarungan Offices nationwide

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is moving to establish permanent Katarungan Offices nationwide to provide Filipinos with easier access to free legal assistance.

The initiative seeks to institutionalize the existing DOJ Caravan and former DOJ Action Center by integrating permanent legal assistance centers into the department’s 18 regional, 82 provincial, and 149 city offices.

The centers will offer free legal advice, mediation, agency referrals, and coordination assistance with state prosecutors.

Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said the department is finalizing a proposal for submission to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to secure funding and approval for the expansion.

“It is good that we are discussing the DOJ Caravan. The caravan will become permanent; we are now at the stage of submitting a proposal to the DBM so that, in accordance with the directive of our beloved President, our DOJ Katarungan Office will be made permanent,” Vida said.

He added that the initiative would combine physical offices with technology and internet-based platforms to make legal assistance more accessible.

“When you give our countrymen a place to seek help, it gives them hope, and that is the obligation of the government,” he said.

Justice Undersecretary Garney Candelaria said the Katarungan Offices would build on the department’s existing frontline services and eventually become permanent offices where the public could seek help with legal concerns.

“The DOJ Action Center will become the Katarungan Offices. We are trying to propagate that nationwide so it becomes a permanent office that the public can go to whenever they have legal problems,” Candelaria said.

He said nine or 10 regions already have Katarungan Offices where people can file complaints involving legal cases, bullying, neighborhood disputes, and employment concerns.

The department is also exploring social media platforms such as Facebook and Messenger, alongside existing hotlines, to expand public access to its services.

Candelaria said the program is still under the DOJ but could eventually become an attached agency with its own organizational structure, plantilla positions, and budget.

Meanwhile, Candelaria reported low attrition in the prosecution service, attributing this to improved compensation packages that have helped the government attract and retain qualified lawyers.

He also noted that artificial intelligence has helped young prosecutors conduct deeper research on their cases, while the appointment of additional prosecutors has strengthened the service.

“Our target is one court, one prosecutor,” Candelaria said.