Rizal 4th District Rep. Fidel Nograles has been selected for the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) Impact Awards Initiative by the United States State Department.
“It is an honor to be selected for the IVLP Impact Awards Initiative and to be able to push a project for an advocacy that is close to my heart,” said Nograles.
The IVLP Impact Awards Initiative is spearheaded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in partnership with Meridian International Center.
The lawmaker is targeting the publication of a legal handbook containing pertinent resource materials on criminal law and procedure and administrative law for jail paralegals and prison legal officers.
Nearly 250 awardees have been selected from IVLP alumni across the world to implement projects that aim to provide solutions to challenges in their home countries. The proposals could request up to $US 5,000 in funding with project completion by January 31, 2023.
The IVLP is a professional exchange program by the U.S. State Department.
Nograles’ project aims to legally empower jail paralegals in the Philippines.
The project involves exposing 2,000 jail paralegals and prison legal officers across the country to capacity-building strategies and legal workshops as a jail decongestion measure.
The lawmaker is targeting the publication of a legal handbook containing pertinent resource materials on criminal law and procedure and administrative law for jail paralegals and prison legal officers.
Last year, the Harvard-trained lawyer had inked an agreement with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology to conduct a national training program for its paralegal personnel.
A series of lectures will also be conducted to enhance these officers’ legal skills in aspects such as case documentation, data mining, evaluation, and providing free legal assistance.
“While this project targets jail paralegals and legal officers, ultimately these efforts are for the benefit of poor and marginalized inmates so that their access to justice can be enhanced,” Nograles said.
Last year, the Harvard-trained lawyer had inked an agreement with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology to conduct a national training program for its paralegal personnel.
The agreement involves the training of more than 100 paralegal officers nationwide, which was conducted by Lakbay Hustisya Foundation, Inc., which Nograles founded.
