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Lawyers have important roles in protecting rights of public amid pandemic —Bar topnotcher
By DONA MAGSINO,GMA News The passers of the 2019 Bar examination in the Philippines have significant roles in ensuring that the public's rights are protected even amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, according to the Top 1.
"Sa panahon po ngayon, although siyempre ang mga frontliner natin nagbubuwis talaga ng buhay, pero sa nakita po natin minsan may mga legal na problema ang mga normal na citizens na kahit ang dami nang pinagdadaanan dahil minsan nawawalan ng trabaho, may mga violation pa rin ng kanilang mga karapatan," Mae Diane Azores said in an interview on GMA News' Unang Balita.
She said the newly minted lawyers of the land should maximize modern technology to reach out to those who need their assistance.
"Bilang mga abugado andiyan tayo para i-guard ang kanilang rights kahit papaano, kahit na ganito na ang bagong normal natin ay teleconferencing na lang," Azores said.
"Sana kahit papaano, kahit online makapag-connect ang mga abugado sa mga normal na mamamayan para ma-inform sila ng mga karapatan nila," she added.
Azores said she is inclined to pursue the field of labor law because she witnessed a lot of employment issues while she was a working student.
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Aside from the impact to labor, the pandemic has also stirred up discrimination against frontliners and patients suffering from the highly contagious disease.
Last month, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines called out this "undue discrimination" amid the health crisis.
The email and phone channels of the IBP National Center for Legal Aid has been made available for frontliners who may wish to file complaints.
Lawyers from the University of the Philippines College of Law have also offered to defend individuals who have experienced discrimination.—AOL, GMA News