By Reynel Cetrien Ligan
Xavier University Center for Legal Assistance (XUCLA) conducted a legal outreach in Barangay Pagatpat, Cagayan de Oro City on August 31.
Thirty-nine residents from the Habitat for Humanity relocation site in the said barangay availed the pro bono services of XUCLA ranging from legal consultations to notarizations.
Led by program officer for formation and advocacy Francis Edmund Ortiz, the outreach also served as an exposure for XU Law students. Volunteers and members of Balaod Atenista, XUCLA’s student formation arm assisted their executive director Atty Jarley Sulay-Trugillo and program officer for legal aid and case management Atty Melanie Ortiz-Rosete during the event.
One of the three volunteers, Tanya Damasing shared that the outreach was “an avenue to help Filipino citizens in taking steps to resolve their legal problems.”
Although used to community work, volunteer Erwin Delilan considered his experience in Pagatpat different.
“My Pagatpat experience is something closer to my heart since it’s already related to my dream of becoming a lawyer someday,” he said.
Now on its 19th year, XUCLA has been at the forefront of engaging with the legal issues of the marginalized sectors.
“There is really a strong demand for free legal services especially from our target beneficiaries who cannot afford the services of counsel,” said XUCLA program coordinator Neoven Patrick Emnace.
“Outreaches of this kind give the marginalized access to remedies or counselling, whichever is applicable to their legal predicament.”
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The writer is a sophomore at the XU College of Law and a resident intern of XUCLA.