Integrated Bar of the Philippines launches public service portal

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) has launched its public service portal project which can be accessed through its website www.ibp.org.ph to answer the growing challenges of the digital age.

The project is the brainchild of IBP chairman of the Board of Governor and national president Jose Vicente B. Salazar.

As envisioned by Salazar, the public service portal (PSP) project works two-fold: first, it makes use of mobile communication technology to allow more efficient information dissemination within the members of the legal community on matters pertaining to the Bar; and secondly, through continuous updates via a building medium to keep IBP members nationwide abreast of developments in the field of law.

At the same time, the PSP will make use of the integrated short message service (SMS) gateway that will enable legal aid lawyers and volunteers to provide free legal advice to the public via SMS or scheduled live chats and provide legal information via SMS to all IBP members or a predetermined subgroup such as an IBP chapter.

The IBP public service portal project aims to transform the website from a rudimentary information source into one that is in line with the IBP’s objectives, which elevate the standards of the legal profession; improve the administration of justice, and enable the Bar to discharge its public responsibility more effectively.

Salazar pointed out that as a public service, IBP lawyers and volunteers may provide free legal assistance to the public by contributing content for legal topics.

"Given the importance of the desired information to keep the service portal working for all members of the legal community and the Filipinos, IBP is requesting to gather the mobile phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and other data needed for this portal enhancement of all IBP members. In addition, the IBP Database Enhancement Project (IBP-DEP) booths have been set up nationwide to retrieve the necessary and needed information," Salazar said.