DAVAO CITY-The Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) Regional Office XI through its legal unit entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with Southeastern Philippines (USEP) School of Law for the CDA Laws Awareness Program (CLAP) last April 11, 2024 held at the USEP President’s Boardroom, Obrero Campus.

The Authority was represented by Usec. Joseph B. Encabo as signatory to the agreement together with Atty. Earl D.F. Larroder, Legal Officer of CDA Regional Office XI and Mr. Paul Ryan R. Simbajon, CDS II assigned for the Legal Unit.

The University of Southeastern Philippines was represented by University President Dr. Bonifacio G. Cabales, Jr., USEP School of Law Extension Head Atty. Jesus Agora Villardo III, Vice President for Research and Development Dr. Roger C. Montepio.

The CDA innovated a program dubbed as “CDA Laws Awareness Program” or CLAP, an avenue wherein cooperative laws, rules and regulations shall be introduced to law students and thereafter applied by them in the conduct of their legal duties either in the CDA or cooperatives or both.

USEP, through the School of Law (SOL), has established a Legal Aid Clinic that will run its Legal Aid Program (LAP) and will serve as the avenue for the Clinical Legal Education Program (CLEP) mandated by the Supreme Court under A.M. No. 19-03-24-SC amending Rule 138-A on Law Student Practice, otherwise known as the Revised Law Student Practice Rule.

Law Student Practitioners (LSPs) of the USEP SOL will be able to provide legal services to cooperatives in the Davao Region through CLAP under the supervision of the CDA Legal Unit.

The CDA Regional Office XI is the first regional office to implement the CLAP last year wherein several successful dialogue settlements were achieved with the aid of Law Student Practitioners.