EcoDefend: Ecological Governance, Paralegal and Training Institute

Project Summary

The national Executive Committee meeting of the Greens PH last November 30, 2014 reiterates the need for an specialize program that will address the gap between the need to support the local Greens institute in providing legal and paralegal experts in the area considered as a potential for conflict. This brings the idea of formulating a plan in establishing a Paralegal Network that will immediately provide the required services in the respective areas of operation.

The Ecological Governance, Paralegal and Training Institute (EcoDefend) is a distinct paralegal institute that will provide services to the respective local Greens institute affiliated with the Greens PH. It will anchor its program in the popularization of the “Writ of Kalikasan” in the Village level and will serve as a parallel program under the Village Ecological Governance Development Framework (VEGDF) at the respective Village Council operated by the Greens PH/Partido Kalikasan.

The recent destruction brought about by the typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in the lives and properties of the resident in Visayas, re-evaluates the states accountability in protecting its resident from natural and manmade calamities which also brought the level of consciousness of the public on the undeniable truth about the “climate change”.

Aside from the huge cost of getting a legal service; the lack of the service providers that requires paralegal, technical and administrative expertise contributes to the overwhelming problems confronted by the locals in addressing the environmental abuses in the countryside.

By providing Paralegal Trainings to the individual leaders of the Greens PH, the projects aim to build a strong paralegal constituents or the Eco-Defender in addressing the legal, technical and administrative provisions that were also use in some instances as the tool of abuses and oppressions.

In summary, the significance of the project was described as follows:

“The Paralegal and Training program will address the gap between the required skills and knowledge in environmental laws, administrative procedures and jurisprudence. The project will be a big help to the grassroots leaders in safeguarding and protecting its rights and the communities interest over the potential exposures on abuses by the local government officials, the national government offices who administers the approval over the specific projects and from the business interest that violates the specific laws on environment.

The project will also be a great opportunity to the individual Eco-Defender to have the required knowledge and skills to file an administrative, criminal and civil complaint against abusive government officials and private individuals who violates specific laws, administrative orders, policies and jurisprudence.”

Jun C. Labro

National Chairman, Greens PH 

Concurrent Executive Director, EcoDefend, Inc.

December 3, 2014

01/31/2015 – 09:48