The Alternative Law Groups (ALG) of the Philippines Workshop on Law in the Struggle for Dignity and...
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Transcript of The Alternative Law Groups (ALG) of the Philippines Workshop on Law in the Struggle for Dignity and...
The Alternative Law Groups (ALG)
of the Philippines
Workshop on Law in the Struggle for Dignity and Justice
Bangkok, Thailand, March 20-23, 2015
Marlon J. Manuel National Coordinator, ALG
Alternative Law Alternative Law GroupsGroups
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Alternative Law Groups
a coalition of more than twenty (20) legal resource organizations operating nationwide…
… providing developmental legal support to poor and marginalized groups and communities in the Philippines
… using the law and legal resources to empower (protecting and asserting rights)
… advocating for policy reforms
ALG members:
Alternative Law Research and Development Center, Inc. (ALTERLAW)Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC)Balay Alternative Legal Advocates for Development in Mindanaw, Inc. (BALAOD-MINDANAW)Children’s Legal Bureau (CLB)Educational Research and Development Assistance Foundation, Inc. (ERDA)Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC)EnGendeRights, Inc. (EnGendeRights)Free Rehabilitation, Economic, Education and Legal Assistance Volunteers Association, Inc. (FREELAVA)Human Rights Unlimited, Inc. (HRU)Indigenous People’s International Center for Policy Research and Education (TEBTEBBA)Kaisahan Tungo sa Kaunlaran ng Kanayunan at Repormang Pansakahan (KAISAHAN)
ALG members:
Kanlungan Center Foundation, Inc. (KANLUNGAN)Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center-Kasama sa Kalikasan-Friends of the Earth Philippines (LRC-KSK-FOE Phils.)Paglilingkod Batas Pangkapatiran Foundation, Inc. (PBPF)Participatory Research Organization of Communities and Education Towards Struggle for Self-Reliance (PROCESS-PANAY)Philippine Earth Justice Center (PEJC)Pilipina Legal Resources Center (PLRC)Rainbow Rights Project, Inc. (R-Rights)Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panligal (SALIGAN)Tanggapang Panligal ng Katutubong Pilipino (PANLIPI)Tanggol Kalikasan (TK)Women’s Legal Bureau (WLB)Women’s Legal Education, Advocacy and Defense Foundation, Inc. (WomenLEAD)
ALG members’ operations cover a wide area of concerns involving justice issues of the marginalized sectors of Philippine society.
Women Workers (domestic and migrant)FarmersFisherfolkChildrenUrban Poor (informal settlers)Indigenous PeoplesMuslim communitiesPersons Living with HIV-AIDS Persons with DisabilitiesLGBTLocal Governance Peace and DevelopmentEnvironment
Major Components of the Work
Legal Education and Paralegal Formation
Direct Legal Services and Test Case Litigation
Policy Reform
Research and Publications
Law Internship and Curriculum Development in Law Schools
PARALEGAL FORMATION AND LEGAL EDUCATION
Known as paralegals, community leaders work with their organizations, identifying strategies and solutions to problems affecting them…
POLICY REFORM WORK
This covers policy formulation in the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary, and strengthening the capacities of partner organizations and communities in advocating for their issues and concerns.
TEST CASE LITIGATION
Test Case and Policy Determining Litigation refers to the actual handling of cases before the courts to influence jurisprudential policies.
LAW SCHOOL INTERNSHIP
The Internship Program focuses not only on the primary goal of forming law students towards alternative lawyering but also on the development of the law schools’ curriculum, with the objective of integrating the study of human rights and access to justice issues in the curriculum
CURRENT PROGRAMSEnvironmental Defense Program (EnDefense)
Community-Based Dialogue Sessions on Human Rights between the police and military and CSOs and Human Rights Defenders
Defending the Human Rights Defenders
Lawyering for Social Change
Law as tool for change
Law as means for empowerment
Law as target for change
Working Together
Issue-based cooperationEg., Gender Cluster, IP Cluster
Area-based cooperationLuzon, Visayas, Mindanaw
Work-based cooperationEg., Internship Program with law schools
Combining StrengthsEngaging in test-case litigation as a coalition
Working on Judicial/Justice Reform Programs
Pushing for policy reforms (Executive, Legislative, Judiciary)
Working in partnership with other CSOs and with other stakeholders (media, bar association)
Mobilizing ResourcesEg., 5-year CIDA funded Justice Reforms Initiative Support Project (JURIS) – 2002-2007
Self-managed component on Reform Advocacy
Administering “Funding Windows”
Environmental Defense Program (EnDefense)Defending the Human Rights Defenders Program
Expanding Advocacies
Sharing experiences and strategies with legal NGOs in other countries
Initiating regional/international partnerships
2008 Regional Conference on Lawyering for Social Justice and Human RightsGlobal Legal Empowerment Network
Engaging in regional advocacies
Coalition WorkA national face to grassroots empowerment work
An effective vehicle for national and cross-sectoral advocacy
A facility for sharing information, resources and strategies, and for collation of experiences and lessons
Coalition WorkEnhances the credibility of the members, individually and as a collective
Gives leverage for both advocacy work and resource mobilization
Provides a venue for promotion of “alternative lawyering,” “lawyering with the poor,” “legal empowerment”
Evolution
Series of meetings starting 1989
First Alternative/ Developmental Law Workshop in June of 1990
Adopted the name, “Alternative Law Groups,” in 1992
Publicly launched in 1993
Registered in 1995
MISSION STATEMENTWe are a dynamic coalition of legal resource organizations that work with the poor and marginalized groups, identities and communities in Philippine society towards their empowerment, greater access to justice, and in building peace.
We harness each other’s strengths in the developmental use of the law and critical engagement of the legal system.