About the Summit
About the Summit
With the goal of amending the Rules of Procedure in Environmental Cases toward enabling effective, responsive, and sustainable legal processes and remedies, the Committee is staging a National Summit on Sustainability and Environmental Law. This summit will bring together different stakeholders to discuss current environmental problems in the Philippines and how these may be mitigated by legal practitioners and institutions. The insights of the participants will serve as the foundation for the proposed amendments to the Rules of Procedure in Environmental Cases. By involving all levels of the Judiciary, the legal profession, the government, the business community, and environmental advocates in the summit’s discourse, the Court aims to provide a holistic picture of our current environment and environmental legal practice to inform timely and more responsive revisions to the Rules of Procedure in Environmental Cases.
“Enabling Environmental and Climate Justice – Bridging Science and Laws for Responsive Rules and Sustainable Development”
Focus
Focus
- Amending the Rules of Procedure in Environmental Cases toward providing effective, responsive, and sustainable remedies
- Collate and Synthesize recommended amendments to the Rules
- Foster holistic understanding and collaboration toward sustainable legal processes
- Highlight the intersectionality of climate change and environmental degradation with other emerging legal and social issues
- Recommend revisions to the Rules of Procedure in Environmental Cases
Summit Overview
Summit Overview
Aside from bringing all the technical working groups together to harmonize their recommendations on the proposed amendments, the National Summit will bring international and local experts to discuss key knowledge issues in the environment, and foster further dialogue on the opportunities and challenges of addressing the emerging problems of climate change and environmental degradation. By hosting this national summit, the Supreme Court pursues a holistic and comprehensive response to the need for a modern and responsive Judiciary.
The Summit is organized by the Supreme Court Judicial Committee on Sustainability and Environmental Concerns in partnership with the EU-GOJUST II Programme, the United States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement through the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, the United States Forest Service, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the British Embassy, International Commission of Jurists, Raoul Wallenberg Institute, The Asia Foundation, and the Australian government supported FAIR Justice program.
Agenda
Agenda
Day One: Capacity Building on Key Knowledge Issues
Day One: Capacity Building on Key Knowledge Issues
The Summit will host lectures on various topics such as environmental sustainability, climate change litigation, international environmental obligations, and emerging legal and social issues.
Briefings on Key Areas of Public Interest
- Lectures during the first day of the Summit will give the delegates a comprehensive understanding of environmental sustainability, climate change, and the law.
Plenary Panel Discussions
- Presenters on key knowledge issues will have the opportunity to discuss their presentations and answer questions from the summit participants.
- These discussions will follow each panel lecture, where the delegates can ask questions, give their insights, and engage in a discussion with the panel of presenters.
Synthesis
- At the end of each panel discussion, the facilitator will summarize the key points discussed by the panelists for collation and integration into the Summit’s final report on the proposed amendments to the Rules.
Day Two: The Court’s Avenues for Sustainability Initiatives
Day Two: The Court’s Avenues for Sustainability Initiatives
The Supreme Court aims to update the Rules of Procedure in Environmental Cases to more accurately reflect its sustainability goals and initiatives.
Reports of the Technical Working Groups
- The technical working groups will present their reports from their focus group discussions, including recommendations for amendments to the Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases.
Workshops on Topics Relevant to the Proposed Rule Amendments
- Resource Speakers will discuss key topics relevant to the proposed revisions to provide context and material for discussion in the subsequent breakout sessions.
Breakout Sessions and Synthesis of Findings
- Participants will be assigned to groups to discuss the proposed amendments with a view toward further improvement and refinement. These sessions will be guided by the technical working group findings, as collated and condensed by the Committee Secretariat. Each breakout session will allow representatives to discuss the proposed revisions.
Livestream
Livestream
Speaker Lineup
Speaker Lineup
Angela Consuelo Ibay
Angela Consuelo Ibay
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines
Briony Eales
Briony Eales
Asian Development Bank
Georgina Lloyd Rivera
Georgina Lloyd Rivera
United Nations Environment Programme
Alfredo Mahar Francisco Lagmay
Alfredo Mahar Francisco Lagmay
National Institute of Geological Sciences, University of the Philippines
Monalisa Dimalanta
Monalisa Dimalanta
Energy Regulatory Commission
Anthony Charlemagne Yu
06 - Yu (Coloured)
Empire East Land Holdings, Inc. | Megaworld Central Properties, Inc.
Speakers Profile
Speakers Profile
Angela Consuelo Ibay
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines
With over twenty years of experience working on climate change, energy, and environmental issues, Atty Ibay presently heads the Climate Change and Energy Programme of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines and concurrently serves as Earth Hour Philippines’ National Director, working for the organization for the past fourteen years on renewable energy and the clean energy transition, sustainable cities, and climate resilience. For five years, she chaired the National Renewable Energy Board’s subcommittee on Public Relations and IEC. Last March 2022, she was elected to the Board of Directors of the Climate Action Network (CAN) International, the world’s largest climate network made up of over 1,900 civil society organizations in over 130 countries, driving collective and sustainable action to fight the climate crisis and to achieve social justice. She is currently serving her 2nd term on the CAN International Board and was elected Co-Chair of the Board last February 2024.
Her expertise includes environmental law and policy, climate change, climate finance, pollution, hazardous waste, renewable energy legislation and policy. The first Climate Change Attaché of the British Embassy Manila, she also worked at the Manila Observatory, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Environmental Management Bureau, and served as legal counsel for the Pollution Adjudication Board and Mines Adjudication Board. She has peer-reviewed co-written papers on environmental issues. She has been a Philippine delegation member to the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP), having attended COP3, COP9, COP16, COP21 AND COP22. Since COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, COP28 in Dubai, UAE and COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, Atty. Ibay served as a Technical Adviser to the Philippine delegation on climate finance, mitigation, loss and damage, and just transition.
Holding a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Philippines College of Law, Atty. Ibay has received training from the Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program, University of California, Berkeley, U.S.A., and the Renewables Academy (RENAC), Berlin, Germany.
Briony Eales
Asian Development Bank
Briony Eales is an Australian lawyer specializing in climate, environmental, social, and governance law. Her 25-year career spans working in private practice as a litigator, advising government, in-house legal counsel work in the private sector, and extensive project management in environmental law with the Asian Development Bank (ADB). She is admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in the High Court of Australia and the Supreme Court of Queensland.
Currently, Briony is the consultant team leader for judicial capacity building in environmental and climate change law at ADB. In this role, she leads the development of judicial curricula and training on environmental and climate change law. Briony was the editor-in-chief and a lead author of “Climate Change, Coming Soon to a Court Near You,” ADB’s four-part climate law report series published in 2020. She also contributed a chapter on the nexus between climate and biodiversity litigation in Asia in Edwin Elgar’s “Research Handbook on Climate Change and Biodiversity Law,” to be published later this year.
Briony has worked on national climate law updates, climate change strategy, and reviews of environmental crime legislation. She has also advised private sector companies on resettlement, environmental and social impacts, engagement with indigenous communities, governance, and risk management. Early in her career, Briony was a litigation lawyer specializing in administrative and insurance law.
Georgina Lloyd Rivera
United Nations Environment Programme
Dr. Georgina Lloyd Rivera is the Regional Coordinator (Asia and the Pacific) of Environmental Law and Governance for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Georgina’s works covers the areas of environmental rights, environmental crime, technical assistance in environmental law and capacity building at the national and regional level. Georgina has been involved in capacity building for environmental law within Southeast Asia and has provided advice to government and non-government stakeholders on environmental law and policy issues.
Georgina holds a PhD in Law, Master in Environmental Law and Bachelor in Environmental Science (Hons 1) from the University of Sydney.
Alfredo Mahar Francisco Lagmay
National Institute of Geological Sciences, University of the Philippines
Dr. Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay is an Academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and Professor at the National Institute of Geological Sciences, University of the Philippines. He is currently the Director of the University of the Philippines Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) Center, established to conduct research and development and extension services on natural hazards, disaster risk reduction and climate change. He is also the Executive Director of the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute, an institution established by the U.P. System as an agent of change in the country’s disaster resilience efforts. He is a recipient of the 2008 Outstanding Research Award from DOST, the 2013 Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Outstanding Professional of the Year Award, the 2013 Outstanding Filipino Award (TOFIL), the 2015 Plinius Medal of the European Geosciences Union (EGU), 2020 StartNetwork Changemaker Award and the Office of Civil Defense 2024 Dangal ng Bantayog ng Katatagan Hall of Fame Award for Disaster Resilience Champions.
Monalisa Dimalanta
Energy Regulatory Commission
Atty. Monalisa Dimalanta has been a recognized energy practitioner in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, a leader in the power sector and other various areas. On 8 August 2022, she assumed her current post as the Chairperson of the Philippines’ Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) after more than 20 years as a practicing lawyer. For two years (March 2019 to March 2021), she was the Chairperson of the National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) and laid the groundwork for the country’s Green Energy Auction Program and updating the 20-year National Renewable Energy Plan, among others.
Mona is an ardent teacher and life-long learner. Until she assumed her current post as Chair & CEO of ERC, Chair Mona was a professor of law at the Ateneo de Manila Law School and a member of the faculty of the Ateneo School of Government.
Most recently (October 2023), she completed an executive course online with the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) on Regulation Strategy. In April 2021, she completed the Senior Fellowship Programme at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Mona also holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Laws degree as well as a Bachelor of Arts (major in Journalism) degree from the University of the Philippines.
Anthony Charlemagne Yu
Empire East Land Holdings, Inc. | Megaworld Central Properties, Inc.
Charlie Yu is presently the President and CEO of Empire East Land Holdings, Inc., one of the biggest and the most active real estate development companies in the Philippines. He is also the President and CEO of Megaworld Central Properties, Inc., Chairman and President of Empire East Communities, Inc., and the President and Director of Sherman Oak Holdings, Inc., Sonoma Premier Land, Inc., and Valle Verde Properties, Inc. He also sits as a Director of Megaworld Newport Property Holdings, Inc.
Presently, he is the Chair of the Board of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines). He has served as the President of the El Nido Foundation for many years, which is focused on conservation and community development of the area. He is also the Chairman of the Board of ERDA Foundation, with the objective of assisting the poorest of the poor in our country through education and educational assistance.
He was also a long-time member of the Board of IBON Foundation. He is also a member of the Board of Culion Foundation, one of the oldest health-based NGOs that attends to the needs of Filipinos afflicted with leprosy and other communicable diseases. He is also a Trustee of the NVC Foundation – Negrense Volunteers for Change, which was set up to fight hunger and poverty by providing proper nutrition for poor children, as well as sustainable livelihood opportunities for their parents. He is also a member of the Board of AHA! Learning Center, an NGO that supports public school children in various ways. He also sits as a member of the Board of Kaya Natin, which promotes good governance and ethical leadership in the Philippines.
He has been appointed by the Supreme Court to be a member of the Technical Working Group to draft the Amended Rules on Mandatory Continuing Legal Education of 2023, the Technical Working Group to Amend the Rules on Special Proceedings of the Rules of Court, the Technical Working Group for the Training and Capacity Building of Judges for the Implementation of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 and Related Laws, among others.
Prof. Yu is also a member of the Corps of Professors of the Philippine Judicial Academy (PhilJA), a component unit of the Supreme Court which serves as the training school for justices, judges and other court personnel. Recently, the Supreme Court appointed him to be the Chair of the Constitutional Law Department of the Philippine Judicial Academy.
FAQs
FAQs
A: The summit will bring together different stakeholders to discuss current environmental problems in the Philippines and how these may be addressed by legal practitioners and institutions. The insights of the participants will serve as the foundation for the revision of the Rules on Environmental Procedure. By bringing together all levels of the judiciary, legal professionals, government officials, academe, business leaders, and environmental advocates, the summit seeks to revise the current Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases and make it more responsive to present concerns.
A: The summit is hosted by the Supreme Court of the Philippines in collaboration with the EU-GOJUST II Programme, the United States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement through the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, the United States Forest Service, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the British Embassy, International Commission of Jurists, Raoul Wallenberg Institute, The Asia Foundation, and the Australian government supported FAIR Justice program.
A: The summit will bring together approximately 250 participants, including Supreme Court Justices, Court of Appeals Justices, trial court judges, judiciary personnel, law school deans, professors, practitioners, representatives from the executive and legislative branches, non-governmental organizations, and the business community. The diversity of participants ensures that all relevant stakeholders can contribute to the discussions on the revision of the Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases.
A: The summit is expected to produce the following outcomes:
- Technical Working Group Findings: The groups will present their insights from focus group discussions conducted before the summit.
- Synthesized Inputs: Breakout sessions will gather perspectives from participants to address their sector’s concerns and generate actionable recommendations.
- Proposed Revisions to Environmental Rules: These outcomes will be consolidated and submitted to the Judicial Committee on Sustainability and Environmental Concerns, with the goal of revising the Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases.
A: Experts in environmental law, climate science, and sustainability are invited to be panelists during the summit. A full speaker line-up will be available soon.
A: Topics will include:
- Updates on Climate Change and Developments in International Obligations in the local and global context
- International Developments in Climate Litigation and Environmental Law
- Challenges to Environmental Advocacy and Climate Action
- Intersectionality of Climate Change with Gender, Human Rights, Human Security and their Possible Integration into Environmental Policies and Legal Practice
- Effects of Climate Change in the Philippines and Emerging Issues
- Energy Issues, Plans for Sustainability in the Local Context and Challenges to Local Policy for Sustainable Energy Development
- Climate Change Impacts in the Philippines – the Role of Business in Attaining Climate Justice and Realizing Sustainable Development
A: The first day of the program will be live-streamed, allowing virtual participants to listen to the lectures.
A: The live feed of the first day of the summit will be available in this microsite. We advise you to have a stable internet connection for seamless access to the live stream.
A: The Supreme Court has taken steps toward sustainability by reducing paper use through its electronic judiciary processes and issuing Memorandum Order No. 74-2024, which discourages the use and procurement of single-use plastics. The Court’s Baguio City Compound has also begun adopting sustainable infrastructure. Some cottages have already been retrofitted with solar panels. These efforts are part of the Supreme Court’s broader Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations.
A: The summit will explore amendments to the writ of kalikasan and continuing mandamus to address their current limitations in ensuring timely and effective environmental protection. Key revisions may include setting more specific and measurable goals for judicial orders, streamlining the procedural aspects of environmental cases, and ensuring the inclusion of human rights and climate change considerations in environmental litigation.
A: The technical working groups, composed of representatives from all key sectors, will present findings from their focus group discussions. These insights, combined with participant feedback during the summit, will guide the recommendations for revising the Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases. The Committee will review these recommendations before submitting them to the Supreme Court En Banc for final consideration.
Socials:
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