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

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.

RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS

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

Working Together

Enhancing the Capacity of the Member Organizations and their Staff Members

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”

More than 20 years in the making

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

Evolution

COORDINATION

LOOSE NETWORK

INFORMATION EXCHANGE

COALITION

WHAT IS THE NET WORTH OF A NETWORK?

MORE THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS

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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.