Sama-samang Pagkilos para sa Pagpapalapit ng Hustisya* ni Punong Mahistrado Reynato S. Puno
Una sa lahat, nais ko pong magpasalamat sa Bagong Alyansang
Makabayan o BAYAN, sa National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers at sa mga iba
pa nating kasama rito, sa inyong pagtugon sa ating katatapos pa lamang na
Forum on Increasing Access to Justice: Bridging Gaps and Removing
Roadblocks.
Umani ang nasabing pagpupulong ng mga mungkahi buhat sa iba't
ibang stakeholders ng ating justice system, partikular sa hanay ng mga
mahihirap at abang sektor ng lipunan hinggil sa kanilang mga hinaing
tungkol sa access to justice.
Kabilang sa mga rekomendasyon na nakalap buhat sa ginanap na
Forum ay ang paglibre o hindi pagsali sa pagbabayad ng docket fees, bail
bonds o piyansa sa mga espesyal na kaso ng mga marginalized sectors,
kabilang na ang mga kapatid nating indigenous peoples o mga katutubo.
Ang isa namang panukala ay ang pagpapababa ng mga bayad para sa
paghain ng habla sa ating mga korte, ang pagbawas sa bilang ng hinihinging
kopya ng mga pleadings o papeles na inihahain sa korte, at ang pagbawal sa
pagbenta ng mga transcript of stenographic notes (TSN) nang kada pahina
dahil na rin sa dagdag gastos na dulot nito.
* Kabuhayan, Karapatan, Katarungan: A Forum on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights sponsored by BAYAN, NUPL & the University Student Council People’s
Struggle Committee, Malcolm Hall, U.P. College of Law, August 28, 2008.
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Iminungkahi rin ng mga lumahok sa Forum ang pagtatatag ng mga
legal clinic na mayroong mga programang naglalayong maiangat ang antas
ng kaalaman ng mga mahihirap at mga komunidad, at ang
pakikipagtulungan sa Public Attorney's Office, Commission on Human
Rights, at Integrated Bar of the Philippines upang lalong matupad ang
layuning ito.
ANTI-SLAPP RULE: AMENDING THE RULES TO COUNTER HARASSMENT SUITS
I. SLAPP: Nature and Concept
A Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) is any legal action filed against an individual or individuals, groups, labor unions, entity or associations, community residents, or the like by reason, or arising out, of their exercise of freedom of speech, expression, or of the press, or of the right to peaceably assemble or petition the government for redress of grievances in matters of public concern, and is intended merely to harass, vex, exert undue pressure, or stifle the resources of such individual or individuals, groups, labor unions, entity or associations, community residents, or the like.
IDENTIFYING LEGAL SYSTEM OBSTACLES TO LEGAL REMEDIES FOR ESCR VIOLATIONS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF SYSTEMIC VIOLATION OF PEOPLE¿½S RIGHTS
Any genuine initiative, as long as it is consultative and participatory, to identify and eliminate factors which impedes the access to the justice system by victims of economic, social and cultural rights violations is a positive development for human rights legal work. NUPL officers who met with Chief Justice Reynato Puno in January 2008 have expressed to the Chief Justice their intent to participate in the Supreme Court's forum on access to justice issues with the aim of helping bring to the Courts and the public's attention the procedural and substantive factors that make it difficult for victims of economic, social and cultural rights violations to access the justice system for legal redress. It is with this aim that NUPL members, who are providing legal services to various sectors on a host of social, economic and cultural rights issues mainly cases involving agrarian, labor, environment, gender, indigenous peoples and urban poor issues are participating in the Cagayan de Oro, Cebu and Manila forums.
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