Muntinlupa city: Officials of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) on Monday signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) which will provide legal services to qualified persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).

According to Philippines News Agency, BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. and IBP National President Allan Panolong led the signing of the agreement at the BuCor in Muntinlupa City. Catapang said the MOA seeks to promote access to justice and legal protection of PDL, facilitate lawful remedies that may contribute to sentence mitigation and penal decongestion, and institutionalize legal aid services within BuCor facilities.

Under the deal, the IBP will offer a wide range of legal services, including representation and advice on appeals and post-conviction remedies, as well as assistance with petitions for commutation of sentence, pardon, parole, and executive clemency. The IBP will also support PDLs in filing petitions for habeas corpus and other extraordinary writs, ensuring that their lawful rights are recognized and respected.

The assistance also covers applications related to good conduct time allowances (GCTA), preventive imprisonment credit, and time allowances for activities such as studying, teaching, and mentoring within the facilities. Any other legal concerns arising during incarceration will be addressed by the IBP's legal aid services.

Aside from serving the PDLs, the MOA also emphasized capacity-building for BuCor employees through legal seminars and educational programs to be conducted by the IBP to enhance staff awareness and understanding of legal matters relevant to prison operations.

Panolong said the MOA will prove that the law is a weapon of the poor and the weak. 'We wish to bring the IBP services to the public, especially to those who have less in life. Ito ang patunay na sa Pilipinas, ang hustisya ay umiiral at makatarungan (This is proof that in the Philippines, justice exists and is fair),' he said.