Free eNotarization and Online Legal Aid: Inside the IBP–Twala Program
Under an agreement with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, participating lawyers can give free online consultations through Twala, and Twala provides free eNotarization credits for eligible indigent clients.
The agreement was one of the first two documents eNotarized in the Philippines. It was electronically signed and notarized on Twala on October 19, 2026, at the official launch of electronic notarization in Taguig City. Of everything that could have been notarized first, it was an agreement about who gets legal help.
What the program does
The agreement supports the delivery of legal aid under the Supreme Court’s Unified Legal Aid Service (ULAS) framework. It has two parts:
- Free online consultations. Participating lawyers can give free consultations to eligible beneficiaries using Twala’s platform, subject to the program’s intake and scheduling arrangements.
- Free eNotarization credits. Twala provides free electronic notarization credits for eligible indigent clients.
On Twala, every notarial act uses one notary credit, which the Electronic Notary Public (ENP) normally buys. Free credits mean Twala covers the platform’s share of the cost of those notarizations. Separately, the Rules on Electronic Notarization let an ENP waive the notarial fee in whole or in part.
The problem it is meant to solve
For many Filipinos, the cost of legal help is not only the lawyer’s fee. It is the fare to the town center, the day of work missed, and the wait at the end of it, sometimes more than once for a single document. The program is meant to ease the travel, expense, and other practical barriers that keep people from seeking legal advice or completing the documents they need.
Think of a farmer in a remote barangay who needs an affidavit for a benefits claim, or a mother in an island town who needs advice on child support. For them, a consultation online and a notarization without a boat ride may decide whether they get help at all.
Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, who chairs the Senate Committee on Justice, put it this way: “No Filipino should have to endure such difficulties to exercise their rights or seek legal assistance.” Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, the launch’s Guest of Honor, described what secure eNotarization changes: “Secure eNotarization removes geographical and physical barriers bringing legal protection to small players, safely and instantly.”
Why this agreement came first
Engr. Jeffrey Reyes, Twala’s co-founder and CEO, explained the choice: “The value of electronic notarization will be measured in the time people save and the legal help they can reach. We wanted the first documents notarized on Twala to reflect that purpose—agreements supporting legal aid and preparing the profession for digital practice.”
The second document notarized that day, an agreement with the UP College of Law on legal technology and AI, took care of the other half of that purpose: getting the profession ready.
How it builds on the IBP partnership
The program grows out of the national partnership Twala and the IBP signed on January 12, 2026, which already included support for the IBP’s ULAS program, along with training and discounted packages for IBP members. ULAS compliance is also among the eligibility requirements for an electronic notarial commission, so legal aid and eNotarization were already linked in the rules before they were linked in this agreement.
What a remote session asks of a client
The program does not change how an electronic notarization works, and the requirements are modest. A client needs a phone or computer with a working camera and microphone, a connection of at least 2 Mbps, and a valid government-issued ID, such as the Philippine National ID. Everyone in the session has to be in the Philippines. The client appears before the ENP in person or over live video, which the Rules treat as the equivalent of appearing in person.
Twala is open 24/7, so creating an account and verifying an ID can happen at any hour, and the session takes place in the notary’s open time. Our step-by-step guide to notarizing a document online shows each screen.
Who decides who qualifies
Twala does not. Eligibility, intake, and scheduling run through the program, and consultations are given by the participating lawyers. Twala is a technology provider and does not give legal advice. Its part is the platform the lawyers use and the free credits for eligible indigent clients’ notarizations.
What it means for lawyers
The program shows how far legal aid can reach once getting a lawyer’s help no longer means traveling to one. An Electronic Notary Public can notarize for a client anywhere in the Philippines, and a consultation can happen online. Lawyers interested in eNotarization can start with our guide on becoming an Electronic Notary Public, and our view of what the change means for the profession is in what eNotarization means for the Philippine legal profession.
More on the launch is in our report from October 19 and in what changed on October 19. To see how eNotarization works on Twala, visit eNotary.
Twala is a Supreme Court-accredited Electronic Notarization Facility (ENF). Twala is a technology provider and does not give legal advice. Notarial acts are performed by commissioned Electronic Notaries Public.
