The University of the Philippines Law Center Institute of Government and Law Reform (IGLR) successfully conducted a capacity-building workshop on evidence-based policy development entitled, Evidence to Action: Empowering Lawyers in Policy Development on October 8-9, 2024 at the Bocobo Hall of the UP College of Law.
In her opening remarks, Professor Darlene Marie Berberabe, Dean of the UP College of Law posed a thought-provoking question, “Do great lawyers make great policymakers?”
Graced by the presence of respected luminaries in policy development—Atty. Krystal Lyn Tan of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Dr. Jalton Taguibao of the Department of Political Science at UP Diliman, and Director Gilbert Lumantao of Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP)—and participating legal practitioners in diverse fields, the answer to the Dean’s question appeared to be a resounding yes.
The event kicked off with Atty. Krystal Lyn Tan Uy, the current Undersecretary for Legislative Affairs of NEDA who introduced the concept of policy development by laying out its principles and rationale.
She was followed by Dr. Jalton Garces Taguibao, an Associate Professor of the UP Department of Political Science who dived into policy formulation and design by presenting key criteria and parameters for evaluating policy options.
The momentum was carried over to the next day as Director Gilbert Lumantao of the Policy Research Office of DAP shared his expertise on the nature and structure of policy proposals as well as on the tools in policy monitoring and evaluation.
The event was then momentously concluded with an afternoon workshop where the attendees, mostly lawyers and research staff from the various institutes and offices of the UP Law Complex, showcased their grasp of the subject matter by applying what they learned in coming up with a policy proposal on some pressing issues of the day.