Bataan State University Establishes College of Law, Boosting Rural Justice Access

MANILA, Philippines — The Bataan Peninsula State University (BPSU) has widened its academic curriculum with the addition of the College of Law, the first and only state-funded legal education institution in the province. During the College of Law Stakeholders’ Night held recently at La Vista Inland Resort, Balanga City, school officials said the new center for legal excellence directly supports national efforts to democratize legal education and address the country’s deficit of public defenders in rural areas. By training future attorneys locally, this initiative aligns with the Supreme Court’s judicial reform agenda aimed at accelerating case resolutions. Empowering provincial institutions is crucial for expanding grassroots access to justice and modernizing the Philippines’ legal infrastructure. Under the leadership of BPSU president Ruby Santos-Matibag, the school now has an accessible, state-funded Juris Doctor Program, answering the national call to cultivate legal minds at the grassroots level. Vice president for academic affairs Jaime Forbes and law school dean Ada Victoria Angeles formally welcomed the pioneering batch of students, consisting of a cross-section of working professionals, top local graduates and aspiring public servants.