BAGUIO CITY – Baguio Boy, Atty. Paolo Salvosa has come home to serve.
Grandson of former Baguio Colleges Foundation now UC founder, Atty. Benjamin and son of concurrent UC board chair, Ray Dean, Paolo grew up in the halls of the University while studying at Baguio City Special Education (Batch 1998) Center and Saint Louis University Boys’ High School (Batch 2002).
Salvosa went on to earn a law degree from Ateneo de Manila University and also attended a program on Strategic Management at the Harvard School of Government in the USA.
He initially worked as a lawyer in Malacañang in 2010 and served as the spokesperson for the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) and later became the Director of both the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, and the Strategy Management at Office of the Vice President in 2016.
Salvosa has volunteered to give Lupon Orientations or a refresher on the Katarungang Pambarangay Law and the importance of the roles of the Lupon to “[I] facilitate best practice sharing among Lupon and share techniques on negotiation na maaring magamit ng mga Lupon sa mediation”.
Currently, Salvosa spearheads the processes for strategy formulation, execution and monitoring as University of the Cordilleras (UC) Strategic Consultant for 2024-2030.
“Ang success ng UC ngayon ay dahil sa tiwala na binigay ng families at communities sa UC, mula sa pag enroll ng mga anak nila hanggang sa pagpartner sa UC para sa mga research at community projects. Parati sinasabi sa amin ng lolo at lola ko na importante tumulong ‘to give back’. Ang bawat tagumpay may pinanggagalingan na dapat binabalikan hindi bilang pasasalamat lamang, kundi bilang pagiging bahagi rin ng Baguio community,” Salvosa stated.
(The success of UC today is due to the trust given by families and communities to UC, from enrolling their children to partnering with UC for research and community projects. My grandparents always tell us that it’s important to ‘give back.’ Every success has roots that should be revisited not just out of gratitude, but as a way of being a part of the Baguio community.)
On the side, Salvosa started a free legal consultation for barangays starting when the Paltiing United Seniors Organization (PUSO) initially invited him to join their Medical Missions at the start of the year and has since served Barangays Balsigan, Greenwater, Sta. Escolastica and Ambiong.
“Karamihan ng mga humingi ng tulong sa akin ay tungkol sa mga family law (inheritance and estate settlement) at property disputes (land ownership, boundary disputes). Madalas kailangan lang ng mga tao ng mapakinggan sila at gabay sa mga batas para maayos nila ang mga isyu na hinaharap nila. Kailangan maging mas accessible sa masa kung paano napapaliwanag ang mga karapatan at proseso sa mga batas natin para sa level pa lang nila, maayos na nila mismo kahit walang abogado ang mga isyu nila kahit bago lumaki.”
(Most of those who seek my help are dealing with family law issues (inheritance and estate settlement) and property disputes (land ownership, boundary disputes). Often, people just need someone to listen to them and guide them through the laws so they can resolve the issues they face. It’s important to make explanations of rights and legal processes more accessible to the public so that, at their level, they can resolve their issues themselves, even without a lawyer, before they escalate.)
After a 12-year stint in government service in the Metro, Salvosa comes home to serve the University of the Cordilleras and city’s barangays.