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1. Developmental Legal Assistance
This program
component’s objective is to provide concerned and organized communities
with legal assistance in the defense of their environmental, as well as
tenurial, rights. It also aims to promote their meaningful
participation in the Philippine judicial system by engaging them as
partners, from the apprehension to the prosecution of environmental law
violators. Strategies include legal representation in administrative
and judicial cases (both emergency and long-term cases), and meta-legal
action.
2. Community-Based Resource Management
ELAC works with
partner communities in securing their tenurial rights, and in designing
and implementing natural resource management plans. This is done
through community-organizing, participatory resource appraisals,
development of micro-enterprises as alternative livelihood, and the
creation of paralegal and environmental monitoring teams
3. Education and Training
ELAC conducts
environmental law and ecological awareness seminars, leadership and
paralegal trainings, and environmental monitoring and resource
assessment workshops to develop a team of community members capable of
responding to the needs of environmental defense. Participants
include community leaders, non-government organizations (NGOs),
people’s organizations (POs), officials of local government units
(LGUs), and members of citizens’ groups and government law enforcement
agencies.
4. Advocacy
ELAC’s advocacy
seeks the legislation and implementation of responsible and socially
responsive environmental laws and policies, especially at the local
level. To complement this, it also works to sustain the lines of
cooperation with local, national, and international organizations,
government agencies, and local government units. Advocacy
involves participation in multi-sectoral bodies/ coalitions, and the
promotion and proposal of environmentally responsible laws, policies,
and programs in public forums.
5. Enforcement
This program
component aims to provide an expedient remedy to communities whose
survival is threatened by the continued destruction of their
environment by persistent law offenders. This initiative is primarily
implemented in partnership with members of government agencies tasked
to enforce environmental laws, and the affected local communities. Some
instances, however, require that ELAC staff themselves conduct arrests,
generally for facility and to avoid preemption. This concept is based
on the "citizen's arrest" provision of Section 9, Rule 113 of the Rules
of Court of the Philippines.
6. Research
ELAC recognizes the
important role of science in all of its program components. Thus,
a proactive and centralized research that cuts across all programs is
necessary. This supports developmental legal assistance, advocacy
work, and community-based resource management. Specific research
activities include participatory resource assessments, environmental
investigative missions, and social investigations.
7. Institutional Capacity-Building
ELAC aims to
develop the knowledge and skills of its staff in environmental law,
sustainable development, and community-based resource management.
Building a network of project partners and volunteers among local and
international NGOs, legal and scientific professionals, students, local
government units, and government agencies, as well as sustaining ELAC’s
projects through fundraising activities, is also part of this program
component.
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