By Alfonso T. Ruda
DAPITAN CITY – To train its legal officers and support services staff on the techniques in giving legal assistance to the clients, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has conducted a seminar on Program Beneficiary Development (PBD) lawyering last July 29-31 at the Alexandra By The Sea this city.
Atty. Anthony N. Paruñgao, undersecretary for legal affairs, who served as the guest speaker during the culmination rites said the latest phase of PBD Lawyering seminar was a joint undertaking between the legal office and the support services of DAR aimed at training its legal officers and support services staff who will serve as counseling team to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).
“The legal officers and support services staff serve as retained lawyers and business coaches of the association, giving advice and legal assistance to the clients,” the undersecretary said.
The DAR aims to train its people to help the farmer-beneficiaries get concrete assistance from the office in terms of documentation and governance more especially in coordinating with government officials from the barangay, municipal, provincial to the regional levels.
“We give them overview on what it is to do business, give them advice and assist them in making decisions,” he said. He, however, pointed out that they would always want the farmers to make their own decisions.
The 45 participants to the three-day activity were Municipal Agrarian Reform Officers (MAROs), PBD staff, legal officers and support services staff and chairmen of cooperatives throughout the entire Zamboanga Peninsula region.