ABOUT ELAC
The Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC), founded in 1990 and registered as a non-profit organization in 1997, empowers communities to safeguard natural resources and environment through developmental legal assistance, education, and advocacy. Viewing environmental protection, human rights and social justice as inseparable, ELAC combats deforestation, extractive and destructive development projects and coastal degradation by pursuing public interest litigation, shaping policy, and building local capacity. Its core work includes training community paralegals and forest, wildlife and fish wardens, strategic litigation on extractive and destructive development activities, and pushing for stronger environmental legislation and enforcement. Despite political pressure and corporate threats, ELAC’s team continues to pursue environmental justice and conservation projects that protect forests and marine biodiversity, urging local and global partners to join the cause.
ELAC Eastern Visayas
ELAC Palawan
HISTORY
ELAC was formed in 1990 as a special project of the Protestant Lawyers’ League of the Philippines (PLLP). The country was still recovering from human rights abuses from the Marcos era, and the project was an effort to mobilize human rights lawyers for legal advocacy on behalf of communities affected by environmental problems. It was a response to the emerging challenge of environmental lawyering especially in the rural areas where environmental degradation is most felt.
From 1990 to 1993, ELAC was composed of a group of volunteer lawyers who participated in people’s monitoring teams, task forces, and environmental investigative missions in response to various development projects and environmental concerns. ELAC also collaborated with various organizations in conducting environmental law seminars and paralegal trainings, and in forming coalitions/networks on environmental issues.
In 1994, ELAC organized a core of full-time staff, an office in Palawan, and coordinating sites in Cebu and Northern Leyte. The following year, offices were established in Cebu and Leyte. The Leyte office addressed environmental issues in Eastern Visayas, including Samar Island. In 1996, ELAC established links with some lawyers in Bohol. This paved the way for a Bohol office in 1997. In the same year, ELAC was duly registered as a non-profit, non-government organization in the Philippines’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Community-Based Resource Management (CBRM) was later developed as a long-term strategy to combat environmental problems and to help communities become managers of the resources in their localities. ELAC began CBRM programs in Honda Bay (1996) and Coron (1998), both in Palawan. The CBRM projects in Bantayan, Cebu and in Mabini, Bohol followed afterwards.
In 1998, a satellite office was set up in Coron to make ELAC more accessible to the indigenous peoples living there. Satellite offices were likewise established in Eastern Samar and Western Visayas to respond to requests for legal assistance in these areas in the Visayas.
However, the satellite offices were not sustained due to the lack of funding support. ELAC decided to maintain offices in Palawan, Bohol, Cebu and Leyte. Presently, the main office is in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.
ELAC has been through a lot of organizational and operational challenges but its vision, mission, goals, and programs keep the organization intact and alive, willing and ready to face other challenges ahead. For as long as the environment is abused, and for as long as the community’s rights to a balanced and healthful ecology are violated and threatened, ELAC will continue its work of helping communities defend the earth.
ELAC VISION
ELAC envisions a resilient Philippine society, as part of an interdependent global community, governed by laws that promote climate justice and a healthful environment.
ELAC MISSION
ELAC’s mission is to secure, protect and assert environmental rights, and equitable access to natural resources by communities.
ELAC GOALS
1) To uphold transparent, accountable, and socially inclusive governance, that recognizes indigenous peoples and local ecological knowledge systems, and diverse identities.
2) To secure the enjoyment both present and future generations an abundance of ecological goods and services while preserving its integrity.
3) To empower communities as stewards of nature who are vigilant and assertive of their environmental rights.
4) To secure and protect the rights of communities-at-risk from environment-related emergencies and crises.
5) To advocate for just and responsive environmental laws, policies, and programs and push for their effective implementation
6) To enhance ELAC’s capacity to sustain its work to promote climate justice and a healthful environment.
GOALS | PROGRAM COMPONENTS | ||
Developmental Legal Assistance (DLA) | EDUCATION AND TRAINING | ADVOCACY | |
1)To uphold transparent, accountable, and socially inclusive governance, that recognizes indigenous peoples and local ecological knowledge systems, and diverse identities. | Strategic Legal Action to enforce IKSP Legal Advice Legal Documentation Documentation and Case Study Good Practices on good governance | Seminars on Governance Education on IKSP | Meeting dialogues with LGUs and Judiciary RTDs with DENR and other decision makers/local legislature |
2) To secure the enjoyment of present and future generations an abundance of ecological goods and services while preserving its integrity. | Legal Advice Legal Documentation Research on Valuation Ecological goods and services Documentation of ecological goods and services Legal rapid needs assessment/environmental investigation | Basic Ecology seminars and community rights Seminars on climate Seminars on ecological goods and services valuation | Engagements with LGUs and policy making bodies Engagement with youth, mothers Activity on ocean protection forest management Loss and Damages to research on mega-renewable energy source. |
3) To empower communities as stewards of nature who are vigilant and assertive of their environmental rights. | Strategic Legal Action on stewardship Legal Advice on the Assertion of environmental rights. | Seminars on Rights of nature Seminars on tenurial rights Internship and community immersion Community capacity building on CBRM/NRM Tenurial Security | Work with fellow NGOs/CSOs for meta-legal actions Knowledge sharing Best practice sharing Legal Research on violation of environmental rights Rapid Assessment on Environmental Investigation on violation of environmental rights |
4) To secure and protect the rights of communities-at-risk from environment-related emergencies and crises. | Strategic Legal Action on protecting the rights of communities at risk Advice on communities-at-risk rights Legal Documentation on Post Crises Response To support SLA | Rights and remedies on social protection Seminar on social protection Seminar on property rights, DRR, rights on obligation Post disaster trauma on pregnant Training and seminar on gender base Seminar on post crises victims Rapid legal needs assessment Development of methodology for the access of social services Direct legal assistance thru legal documentation Access to social protection Cross-sectoral coordination | Engagement in both local and national on the development of social protection Advocacy on loss and damages Rapid Legal Assessment/ Environmental Investigation Pre and Post Crisis Evaluation of Environmental Damages post crisis in support of SLA. |
5) To advocate for just and responsive environmental laws, policies, and programs and push for their effective implementation | Strategic legal action to question unjust land and policies Strategic legal action to push for law enforcement Legal advice | Assessment of existing communication Rec Capacity Building for communications Engagement with LGU, law enforcement and judiciary Work with other CSOs for metalegal actions Research to support policy advocacy Engagement media | |
6) To enhance ELAC’s capacity to sustain its work to promote climate justice and a healthful environment. | |||
ELAC Program Components
ELAC PROGRAM COMPONENT | OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAM |
Developmental and Legal Assistance | Goal 1: To uphold transparent, accountable, and socially inclusive governance, that recognizes indigenous peoples and local ecological knowledge systems, and diverse identities.
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Goal 2: To secure the enjoyment both present and future generations an abundance of ecological goods and services while preserving its integrity.
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Goal 3: To empower communities as stewards of nature who are vigilant and assertive of their environmental rights.
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Goal 4: To secure and protect the rights of communities-at-risk from environment-related emergencies and crises.
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Goal 5: To advocate for just and responsive environmental laws, policies, and programs and push for their effective implementation
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Education and Training |
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Advocacy |
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