The Department of Justice Action Center (DOJAC) launched the “Justice in Action Lecture Series” on Monday in a bid to raise awareness, provide a platform for open dialogue, and empower individuals to take action against violence and discrimination, as well as other critical issues.
By engaging experts, advocates, and community leaders, the lecture series seeks to educate and inspire participants to advocate for justice and equality.
In collaboration with newly-formed civil society and the women’s rights organization Kababaihan, the inaugural session gathered law students from the San Sebastian College of Law in Manila to tackle vital topics of rape and the Safe Spaces Act.
Justice Undersecretary Margarita Gutierrez, head of DOJAC, emphasized the urgency of addressing abuse against women.
“It is heartbreaking to know that for every case we hear or study about, countless others remain silent and unreported, trapped in shadows of fear and stigma. We see only the tip of the iceberg, while beneath the surface lies a vast ocean of suffering and unspoken truths,” Usec Gutierrez said.
“We must be the voices for those who cannot speak, the advocates for those who have been silenced by fear,” she added.
Usec Gutierrez encouraged the participants and members of the community to join in these important discussions and to be part of the movement towards a safer and more equitable society.
“Let’s remember—responsibilidad nating lahat ang magtaguyod ng mas malalakas na proteksyon, suportahan ang mga biktima, at tiyakin ang mas ligtas na kinabukasan para sa lahat. Together, let’s be the change our society desperately needs,” Usec Gutierrez said.
"The unwavering efforts of Usec Gutierrez, Assistant State Prosecutor (ASP) and DOJAC Program Director Joan Carla Guevarra, former Senior Assistant State Prosecutor (SASP) Lilian Doris Alejo and Cat Trivino of MindNation as well as their staff who helped organize and spearhead this legal lecture series is absolutely astonishing as it plays a vital role in empowering our people the much needed wisdom about law and justice which they may utilize to protect themselves and their loved ones from violence, discrimination and other forms of attack. I offer my full support in future undertakings similar to this so I am very eager to personally attend the sequel of Justice in Action Lecture Series," Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Boying Remulla.
The Secretary likewise thanked the San Sebastian College of Law under the helm of Dean Theodore Pastrana for hosting the event.
Earlier, the DOJ and the Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS) represented by its President, Dean Pastrana along with other PALS officials inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to strengthen access to legal services.
