Puerto Princesa City hosted more than 200 environmental and legal experts as part of the National Summit on Sustainability and Environmental Law, spearheaded by the Supreme Court of the Philippines.
The summit, which started on November 27, brought together a diverse group of stakeholders to assess the country’s environmental challenges and propose legal reforms aimed at fostering climate resilience and enhancing environmental protection.
In his opening address, Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo underscored the Judiciary’s critical role in upholding the constitutional right to a balanced and healthful ecology. He highlighted the Supreme Court’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the legal framework for climate action and ensure government accountability in addressing environmental issues.
“The judiciary has played its role in this regard, fully aware of its duty to protect the rights of our people, especially the fundamental right to a balanced and healthful ecology, as enshrined in our Constitution,” Gesmundo said.
He pointed to landmark initiatives such as the 2010 Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases, which introduced innovative tools like the Writ of Kalikasan for large-scale environmental damage and the writ of continuing mandamus to ensure government compliance with ecological obligations.
“We have endeavored to ensure that our rules and procedures evolve not only to keep pace with the development of the science on climate and the environment, but also with the changing needs of our people in this regard,” Gesmundo added.
The Chief Justice also detailed the Supreme Court’s initiatives to integrate sustainability into its operations. These include adopting electronic court systems to reduce paper usage, issuing memoranda discouraging single-use plastics, and creating the Judicial Committee on Sustainability and Environmental Concerns.
The summit serves as a platform for legal practitioners, judges, environmental advocates, and business sector representatives to collaborate on updating the Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases. The goal is to make these regulations more responsive to the pressing environmental issues affecting vulnerable communities.
Collaboration with international partners, such as the EU-GOJUST II Programme, the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (via the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development), the U.S. Forest Service, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, underscores the event’s global relevance. Other partners include the British Embassy, the International Commission of Jurists, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, The Asia Foundation, and the Australian-supported FAIR Justice program.
Chief Justice Gesmundo closed his speech with a call to action, emphasizing the urgency of the Judiciary’s commitment to environmental protection.
“It is no longer a question of whether we must uplift environmental law and legal practice toward effective environmental and climate action. I assure you, the judiciary is already deeply committed to that cause,” he said.
The summit, running until November 30, is expected to produce actionable recommendations to fortify the country’s legal defenses against the mounting challenges of climate change and environmental degradation.
