500 Participants Join Capitol’s Legal Seminar in City of Naga

Close to 500 participants from 28 barangays of the City of Naga joined the recent Barangay Legal Outreach Program (BLOP) of the Cebu provincial government.

Graced by Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale and 1st district Provincial Board member Yolanda Daan, the one-day seminar aimed to equip barangay officials and personnel the skills and knowledge needed in carrying out their work.

Participants included village chiefs and councilors, members of the Lupong Tagapamayapa (conciliation panel), barangay secretaries, and tanods.

“One of the ways to make them more effective in their work is to widen up their knowledge on laws and guidelines relevant to their work,” said Provincial Legal Officer Orvi Ortega.

Among the topics discussed in the seminar were laws governing search and seizure as well as warrantless arrest, parliamentary procedures, mediation techniques and proper ways in drafting resolutions.

It also tackled the law on violence against women and children (VAWC) since victims of domestic violence seek help in the barangay hall first.

Moreover, tanods were given a crash course on crime scene investigation and evidence preservation from the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory 7.

One of the important topics of VAWC discussed by Ortega was the guidelines for the issuance of barangay protection order (BPO). A BPO is an order issued by the barangay to prevent further acts of violence against a woman and her child.

Leonarda Canada, a councilor of Barangay Jaguimit serving her second term, said the seminar has helped her in a lot of ways particularly in drafting resolutions and preparing her committee reports.

“Daghan gyud kaayo kog nakat-onan hilabi na sa pagbuhat og resolution ug committee reports,” said Canada.

Before the start of the seminar, Jose Chenny Portigo, Capitol’s medical coordinator at the Don Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, briefed barangay officials on how to avail of the free hospitalization and burial assistance for indigent families.

The Philippine Alternative Dispute Resolution Inc. (PADRI) led by Maria Carmela Quezon also provided lectures on managing conflicts for members of the Lupong Tagapamayapa.

The City of Naga is the 18th place among the towns and cities to undergo the BLOP since the program started in 2015. (Kelvin Cañizares)

SOURCE: www.cebu.gov.ph