The Free Legal Aid and Voluntary Arbitration Services Program (FLAVAS)

The Free Legal Aid and Voluntary Arbitration Services Program was a joint undertaking of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board and the Philippine Association on Voluntary Arbitration, Inc.

Initial steps to establish the program were spearheaded by the PAVA-NCR Chapter which were adopted and considered by the Board and the TVAAC in consultation with the PAVA, Inc.

The program beneficiaries are the workers in the organized and unorganized establishments as well as unions which are in the organizational stage who have unresolved grievances and complaints arising from employer-employee relations and do not have the necessary funds to pay the cost of voluntary arbitration proceedings including the voluntary arbitrators fees.

Memoranda of Agreements have been forged on January 7, 1993 with the PAVA, Inc. and the Universities and Colleges with Legal  Aid Offices duly accredited by the Supreme Court such as:

• Ateneo de Manila’s College of Law (Clinical Legal Aid Education and Aids Program)
• University of the Philippines’ College of Law (Office of Legal Aid)
• San Sebastian College of Law (Sebastinian Office of Legal Aid)

The FLAVAS program became operational nationwide to cover all regions outside NCR through forging of Memoranda of Agreement with the Department of Justice-Public Attorney’s Office on May 31, 1993 and with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines on June 10, 1993.

Local FLAVAS were later launched in different Regional Branches of the Board. The other regions linked up with their local IBP and the PAO using the mother MOA with IBP and PAO.