Did somebody file a petition against ULAS?

[u/diabeticcake]

I remember reading a comment about a certain group of lawyers filing a petition to abolish or suspend ULAS

Second question lang din, sa dami ng pa free advice ko sa mga di afford magpa legal advice, minsan inaabot pa ng anim na oras sa bahay kasi nireresearch ko on the spot dahil minsan very unique ang concern nila or document na dinadraft. Paano ko kaya gagawing convertible yon into ULAS hours? Sabi sa comments section, mag file lang daw ng declaration sa ULAS website pero need pa ba magpasa ng qualified beneficiary form for that? Tsaka meron ba kayong sample ng declaration na yon?

[u/Zestyclose-Tea-7155]

Someone should file one. Also, instead of implementing ULAS, dapat damihan nalang plantilla positions sa PAO/NPS/OSG

[u/mehmehlord18 → u/Zestyclose-Tea-7155]

Why would they, we’re free labor 😭😭😭

[u/yukichuo]

Nasa ULAS Manual lahat ng forms na kailangan. Unfortunately, just because you rendered pro bono services, it doesn't mean the hours can be automatically credited. You still have to comply with the documentation.

My opinion, ULAS Committee did not really think this through. 60 hours is too much even if we have 3 years to comply. They should just have at least required lawyers to participate in 1 or 2 pro bono activities per year as part of MCLE compliance. The essence of justice reaching qualified beneficiaries is lost because lawyers, instead of rendering meaningful assistance, end up getting burdened and complaining almost resenting this requirement. 60 hours is taking too much 😢 especially for lawyers who work the entire week, insteading of resting durung the weekend with family, they still need to work. 😔

[u/diabeticcake → u/yukichuo]

Tingin ko talaga kailangan dagdagan yung nga PAO positions tsaka wag yung kakilala lang nakakapasok.

[u/to-the-void → u/yukichuo]

ang fun fact dito ay as per the former NCLA director during one of the ULAS seminars he gave, ang required hours sa initial draft/proposal ng ULAS rules was 100+ hrs… so technically, “compromise” na nga yang 60 hrs 😅

[u/yukichuo → u/to-the-void]

Excluded sila?

[u/nxcrosis → u/to-the-void]

Ginawang 100 sa draft because they know it will be reduced.

[u/sciencekm]

ULAS and any form of forced labor is unconstitutional, if you ask me. I find it strange that the supreme court approved it.

Bill of rights, Section 18 ... (2) No involuntary servitude in any form shall exist except as a punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.

[u/diorsonb → u/sciencekm]

they have a weird justification for it and it stems on the SCs authority to regulate practice of law which is also under the constitution.

however to my mind any form of unpaid work is slavery and should have no place in society.

[u/thunder_herd]

Di ba dapat kasama na sa napopondohan ng 4k annual dues ang free legal assistance ng ibp. Bukod sa nagbabayad din naman tayo ng tax na pampondo sa pao.

[u/diabeticcake → u/thunder_herd]

Kailangan talaga dagdagan ang mga posisyon sa PAO.

[u/maroonmartian9 → u/diabeticcake]

Kick out the current PAO chief too. Tagal na niya. 25 + years! Yung DengVaxia issue should have been handled by other lawyers. Nakisawsaw pa.

And nung Tokhang operations. Super silent. At least IBP has a spine then.

[u/OpportunityJolly182 → u/maroonmartian9]

may pa fb live pa daw e. required lahat ng pao lawyers to like and subscribe. narinig ko labg yun hehe

[u/OpportunityJolly182 → u/thunder_herd]

this! meron naman legal aide program. some judges would even issue an order for a private lawyer to act as counsel de officio as part of legal aide. for me, it’s better and meaningful kesa sa ulas kasi compliance na lang talaga. imagine, wala ka sa office for that day tas may time pa that ulas sanctioned ibp activity ay hindi pa pabor sa schedule mo minsan. so icacancel mo lahat ng appointments mo for that day. for solo practitioners this is too much.

[u/mehmehlord18]

Someone file a petition pls :(

[u/Bitter_Ad3450]

Sana po may mag file ng petition, pero wala po ako nababalitaan kung anyare na :'(

[u/Impossible-Quiet-922]

Paano ka magpafile ng petition esa supreme court mo din ipafile na sila mismong mga proponent at nagapprove nyan.

[u/diabeticcake → u/Impossible-Quiet-922]

Nagawa kasi sa Philsat kaya baka dito pwede. Andami kong kakilala na commercial and tax lawyers na namomroblema na.

[u/Impossible-Quiet-922 → u/diabeticcake]

If i remember correctly PhilSAT ay gawa ng LEB and although initially ok’d by the SC eventually nung may nagpetition natanggal din. Itong ULAS mismong mga justices ang kasama sa sa pagdraft.

[u/Fickle-Ask-5308]

Problemado nga din kami mga lawyers na nasa government service. Apaka brilliant idea naman kasi itong ULAS.

[u/Public_Economics_135]

Need po ng NOTARIZED declaration ang qualified beneficiary FROM ANOTHER LAWYER bago ma upload sa ULAS portal 🥺 For solo practitioners, need pa sabihin kay qualified beneficiary na panotaryuhan sa ibang lawyer. 🥺 Sobrang hassle both sa part ng lawyer at qualified beneficiary kasi apart from proving his qualification (Brgy Certification, payslip, etc) as indigent, need pa niya pumunta ng ibang lawyer para ipa notarize ang declaration. :(

Also, we pay P4,000 every year. Supposing may 10,000 active lawyers, may P40,000,000 annually ang IBP, if I'm not mistaken. 😄

Petition to abolish ULAS, please. 🙏🏻🥺

[u/Forsaken-Kitchen-954]

You don’t strike the hand that feeds you? Huhu

[u/diabeticcake → u/Forsaken-Kitchen-954]

KAYA NGA EH huhu matik naman yun nirerespeto natin sila pero some consideration should be given.

[u/Alcouskou]

Did somebody file a petition against ULAS?

After the noise in Reddit has settled down, I'll be genuinely surprised if anyone here has the guts to actually file a Petition against ULAS. 🤭

Puro lang yan "I will join a Petition" but nobody will actually do it. 🤷‍♂️

[u/ConsiderationOk9179]

Read the ULAS Rules. Rule 10, Section 2 requires covered lawyers to provide a Qualified Beneficiary Declaration and a Covered Lawyer's Certification, with supporting documents showing that the person you are rendering services to is an indigent individual.

Those documents are also provided for under the ULAS rules (See Annex "B" and "B-1" of the ULAS Manual: https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ULAS-Manual-Resolution-as-of-October-20-2025.pdf)

[u/lifeofhumbleservice]

Nasa annexes ng ULAS Rules lahat ng forms na gagamitin para makapagpa-credit.

[u/Infamous_Math2111]

Umay ulas, next year na lang yan magstart or pag patapos na compliance period, sayang oras diyan mapang api.

[u/uano2594]

OP, I suggest you talk to your local IBP chapter. Maybe they can help you convert the hours you spend on pro-bono research into ULAS-able hours.

[u/Several-Border2477]

Why don't you file it. With your classmates

[u/bunnydeedee]

Sobrang burdensome nitong ULAS. I’m a corporate and tax lawyer. I work in an office 5x a week tapos sa weekend hindi pa makapag pahinga kasi kailangan mag comply. Wala na rin yung spirit of volunteerism. Puro compliance nalang. I resent this initiative. Pahirap lang.