Good news for Filipino lawyers. The Supreme Court deferred until December 31, 2009 the implementation of the Rule on Mandatory Legal Aid Service, which should have taken effect on July 1. Instead, the Rule will take effect on January 1, 2010 provided its implementing regulations have been published prior to the said date.
In an En Banc resolution, the Court directed the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Board of Governors to finalize and submit the draft implementing regulations for the final approval of this Court as soon as possible. Likewise, it directed the IBP to submit its comment on the Rule itself, particularly on the concerns that rendition of free legal aid service should be voluntary and that the Rule will spawn litigations and clog court dockets and other related concerns.
Under the Rule, every practicing lawyer will be mandated to render a minimum of 60 hours of free legal aid services to indigent litigants yearly, among others.
The Rule is aimed at enhancing “the duty of lawyers to society as agents of social change and to the courts as officers thereof by helping improve access to justice by the less privileged members of society and expedite the resolution of cases involving them.”