321 receive legal assistance through DSWD, PAO partnership in 2023

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Friday that it has served 321 clients in its partnership with the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) in 2023.

According to DSWD Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez, this number includes 178 walk-in clients, 124 clients who sent emails or letters, and 19 clients who were served via calls.

READ: DSWD to act on reported aid payout irregularities in Mindanao

This is due to a memorandum of agreement that the DSWD, the PAO, and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines signed in 2013, which aimed to assist groups such as victims of violence against women and children and children in conflict with the law, among others.

Furthermore, the partnership also extended to single parents in a memorandum that the DSWD and the PAO entered into in September 2023.

READ: Reclaiming social justice in social welfare 

“In an effort to ensure the welfare of solo parents, the DSWD forged a new commitment with PAO on September 19, 2023, to expand the existing MOA on the provision of legal assistance to its qualified clients,” Lopez said.

The DSWD said that under its partnership with the PAO, services included free legal advice, legal documentation, and mediation conferences, among others.

It added that the PAO office in the DSWD in Quezon City is open on Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 am to 5 p.m., and those who want to ask for assistance may call 8-951-2238.

READ: DSWD: Indigent seniors’ monthly pension up form P500 to P1,000