The situation, in brief
The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Action Center has served more than 65,000 Filipinos in roughly three years, with demand for free legal assistance growing sharply each year as more ordinary citizens discover that the justice system has a door they can walk through without a lawyer or a fee.…
The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Action Center has served more than 65,000 Filipinos in roughly three years, with demand for free legal assistance growing sharply each year as more ordinary citizens discover that the justice system has a door they can walk through without a lawyer or a fee.
Undersecretary Margarita Gutierrez made the disclosure in an interview on DZRH News program Special on Saturday on July 11, as part of “The DZRH SONA 2026 Series,” saying the numbers reflect a long-unmet hunger for accessible justice among Filipinos who previously had nowhere to turn.
“Dati ‘yung tingin ng tao pag pinag-uusapan ang DOJ na department po, parang unattainable. Pero ngayon po, dahil po sa ating mga nationwide na programa po sa DOJ po, napaparating natin sa kanila na pwede niyo kaming lapitan,” Gutierrez said.
The Action Center served 10,928 clients in 2023, growing to 14,155 in 2024, surging to 25,581 in 2025, and already reaching 15,157 in just the first half of 2026 — a trajectory that Gutierrez said shows no signs of slowing down.
She said the Action Center’s reach has been extended through the Regional Katarungan Offices, eight of which are now operating nationwide, as well as through the Katarungan Caravan, a mobile unit that brings free legal services directly to communities, including to persons deprived of liberty inside correctional facilities.
“Kasi sir, matagal na po talaga na merong Action Center, pero mas pinaigting pa ho namin ito kasi mas pinalawak po namin itong Action Center na ito,” Gutierrez said, describing how the program was strengthened and expanded under the current administration.
She said the Action Center offers free legal assistance, referral to the appropriate government agency or court, mediation for disputes that do not need to go to trial, and direct coordination with DOJ prosecutors, and is also now the designated access point for bullying complaints, following Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida’s public invitation for students to bring such concerns to DOJ fiscals.
Gutierrez said the surge in clients served is in part a result of the DOJ’s campaign to shift Filipinos away from seeking legal advice on social media and toward trained lawyers and prosecutors who can give them accurate and actionable guidance.
“Kasi ‘yun po talaga ‘yung gusto natin, i-enhance po ‘yung access po nila to justice kaysa sa TikTok po sila nagtatanong. ‘Di ba, please! Dito po, abogado na po natin po ‘yan,” Gutierrez said.
