Environmental Justice Issues faced by Civil Society Groups
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Environmental Justice Issues Environmental Justice Issues faced by faced by
Civil Society GroupsCivil Society Groups
by: Atty. by: Atty. GrizeldaGrizelda ““GerthieGerthie”” MayoMayo--AndaAndaArea Manager for Area Manager for PalawanPalawan
Environmental Legal Assistance Center, Inc. (ELAC)Environmental Legal Assistance Center, Inc. (ELAC)
ENVIRONMENTAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE CENTER
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Standing to SueCosts of
Litigation and Securing Technical Expertise
Harassment suitsagainst
community and civil society
group membersCustody and Release of Seized Articles
Delays in the Investigation and
Prosecution of Cases
Failure of Administrative
Agencies and Local Government Units to
implement Environmental Laws ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE ISSUES faced by civil
society
ENVIRONMENTAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE CENTER
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Failure of Administrative Agencies and LGUs to
Implement Environmental Laws
• Absence or lack of implementing regulations or guidelines
– Fisheries Code or RA 8550 (determining municipal waters of island municipalities, quarrying of white sand and pebbles in areas that make up a marine habitat, fisherfolksettlement areas, reversion of abandoned, underutilized or unutilized fishponds)
– Mining Act or RA 7942 (small scale mining by non-cooperatives or large scale corporations)
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Failure of Administrative Agencies and LGUs to
Implement Environmental Laws• Weak monitoring mechanisms (eg. MMTs for
mining activities are not transparent, provincial mining regulatory board or PMRB lack funds and monitoring staff)
• Local zoning plans or comprehensive land use plans conflicting with national environmental laws (eg. Mining in natural forests, ancestral domains, community-based forest management agreement or CBFMA areas)
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Limestone quarry in Gotok, Sandoval, Bataraza
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Small scale mining operations in Narra, Palawan(photo by Palawan NGO Network, Inc.)
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(Distant view of small scale mine site; Photo by CI)
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Expansion of mining activities are being pursued in the Bulanjao range which is still covered with old growth and second growth forests. (Photo by CI)
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Rich and influential businessmen employ local Rich and influential businessmen employ local community members as paid laborers in mangrove community members as paid laborers in mangrove ““debarkingdebarking”” activities.activities.
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Mangrove Mangrove Debarking in Debarking in CanipaanCanipaan, , RizalRizal, , Southern Southern PalawanPalawan
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Failure of Administrative Agencies and LGUs to
Implement Environmental Laws
• Permits or licenses allowing the use of natural forests or key biodiversity areas (eg. Commercial crop plantation, mining, tourist resort complex)
• Non-participatory/top-down ordinances on marine reserves and protected areas (eg. within ancestral territories)
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Standing to Sue
• Need to test the limits of the landmark case on the standing of citizens in environmental litigation (Oposa, et al. vs. Factoran, 224 SCRA 792; 1993)
• Citizen’s suit provided only in Clean Air Act (RA 8749) and Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003)
• Discretionary on the part of the judge: There are judges who believe that the Oposa doctrine is applicable only in civil cases.
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Standing to Sue
• Determining Offended Party in Criminal Cases– Important for government agencies involved
in the filing of cases to coordinate and come up with a unified position/strategy
• ISSUE: WHO SHOULD BE THE OFFENDED PARTY or WHO SHOULD REPRESENT THE STATE AS OFFENDED PARTY.
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Case against Chinese Case against Chinese PoachersPoachers
(Source: PCSDS/Atty. Adel Villena)
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Costs of Litigation and Securing Technical
Expertise
• Costs of filing fees, injunction bonds and TROs deter local communities from initiating legal actions
• Need for an available, locally-based science group whose expertise can be tapped, whenever needed
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Harassment Suits
• SLAPP (Strategic Litigation against Public Participation) provisions exist only in the Clean Air Act and Ecological Solid Waste Management Act
• Civil Society’s Use of “metalegal”remedies (Media, Multisectoralinvestigations, Community mobilizations,Petitions, Dialogue)
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Delays in the investigation and prosecution of cases
• Complaints lodged before the Ombudsman against government officials and personnel take years to resolve
• Lack of prosecutors and judges, especially in island-municipalities
• Waning interest of witnesses• Lack of resources to fund travel, food
and lodging of witnesses
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Case Study: Enforcement of Fishery Laws in Calamianes
Region, Palawan
• Out of 14,037 Cases of Dynamite and Cyanide Fishing Detected, only 40 Arrests were made in 4 years
• Only 21 Cases reached the Trial Stage
• 5 Convictions, No Jail Time
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Custody and Release of Seized Articles
• Arbitrary release of seized tools, articles and paraphernalia used in environmental crimes
• Can civil society groups who have invested time and resources in enforcement activities be allowed to take temporary custody of certain seized items while cases are pending? ---- need for clear guidelines from DENR and concerned administrative agencies
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Some Initiatives
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Using Administrative Remedies
• CANCELLATION OF PERMITS OR LICENSE
• REHABILITATION OR RESTORATION• CONFISCATION OF TOOLS and ARTICLES
USED IN ENVIRONMENTAL CRIMES • CEASE AND DESIST ORDERs (CDO),
Orders of Demolition (Eg. illegal fishpond development
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Multisectoraldemolition of illegal fishpond dikes
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Strengthening Administrative Adjudication
• Local Legislation– Ordinance authorizing the adjudiction of cases by
LGU’s executive branch or by another body created for the purpose
• BFAR licensing system• DENR adjudication (under EIA system,
forestry violations, permits/licenses)• PCSD Adjudication Board
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RESEARCH INITIATIVES ONENVIRONMENTAL
ADJUDICATION
[undertaken by Tanggol Kalikasan (TK), Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC) and Paglilingkod Batas Pangkapatiran Foundation (PBPF)]
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Current Research Initiatives
• Baseline studies on the number of pending cases, their nature and status
• Studies on specific environmental laws• Studies of offenders• Studies on success rates in prosecuting
environmental crimes • Studies on court procedures and processes• Case study compilations• Studies of court decisions, judicial review• Confiscated Logs and conveyance inventory
study
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Some Findings
• PBPF: Courts are not considered a venue for seeking redress for environmental crimes
• ELAC: From a broad perspective, the study shows that only 0.3 percent of violations detected result in court cases; the figure would be much lower if undetected violations are factored in. This implies that, there could be bigger problems in enforcement (detection/prosecution) than in adjudication.
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Some Findings
• TK study shows high conviction rate for fisheries crimes; Closer look reveals easy plea bargaining and low fines provides incentive to “settle”case, then commit crime again.
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Some Findings
• Several opportunities to improve court procedures to facilitate adjudication of fisheries and forestry cases: – Enforce rules on disposition of logs under litigation
(currently, this is not uniformly applied)– Issue rules on custody of fishing gear [not to be
released – economic disincentive to repeat offense].– Clarify rules on injunction against DENR administrative
proceedings– Court designation of trained judges in high-incidence
areas or environmental crime hotspots– DOJ designation of trained prosecutors in areas of high
incidence of violations or environmental crime hotspots.
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Let us protect and conserve our environment
“We did not inherit the Earth and its natural resources from our ancestors. We borrowed these from our
children.” --- Anonymous