Yes, you heard it right! They’re not wielding swords or flying through the skies, but they are armed with laws, love for the land, and a deep passion for justice. The "Abogado ti Mannalon", which proudly means "lawyer of the farmer" in Ilocano, is here to fight for the rights of our hardworking farmers.
This program was strengthened when the Department of Agrarian Reform Region 02 (DAR RO2), Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)-Cagayan Chapter, Department of Justice - National Prosecution Service (DOJ NPS 02), and Tuguegarao Young Lawyers Initiative (TYLI) entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on 25 June 2025 at The Orient, Caggay, Tuguegarao City.
🎯 What’s the Mission?
Under the banner of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), this program brings free legal aid directly to farmers, whether it’s land disputes, tenancy issues, fake land titles, or confusing contracts. These lawyers aren't sitting behind fancy desks all day, they’re on the ground, literally meeting farmers in barangay halls, under mango trees, and even beside carabaos!
💬 “Adda tulong kadakami!"
("There's help for us!") says Mang Ernesto, a tenant farmer from Cagayan province. For the first time, he understands his rights, thanks to an Abogado ti Mannalon who explained the law in Ilocano, not in legalese! “Ti abogado ket kasla kaduak a makidanggay!” ("The lawyer is like my companion in the fight!") he beams.
🌟 Why It Matters
Farming feeds the nation—but many farmers don’t know their rights, or can’t afford a lawyer. With Abogado ti Mannalon, justice is no longer a luxury—it’s a right, planted firmly in the soil of social justice.
🚜 Field Office or Field Work?
These legal eagles don’t just work behind desks, they visit sitios and far-flung barangays, giving lectures, holding consultations, and even mediating conflicts. They're like legal "caravans," rolling into towns to sow seeds of hope.
So next time you pass a rice paddy, remember: somewhere out there, a real-life legal hero is helping a farmer stand tall.
👨🌾💼 Abogado ti
Mannalon: Para iti Mannalon, Para iti Pagilian!
(Lawyers
for the farmers, for the nation!)
