Environmental Legal Assistance Center

About us

ELAC was formed in 1990 as a special project of the Protestant Lawyers’ League of the Philippines (PLLP). The country was still recovering from human rights abuses from the Marcos era, and the project was an effort to mobilize human rights lawyers for legal advocacy on behalf of communities affected by environmental problems. It was a response to the emerging challenge of environmental lawyering especially in the rural areas where environmental degradation is most felt.

From 1990 to 1993, ELAC was composed of a group of volunteer lawyers who participated in people’s monitoring teams, task forces, and environmental investigative missions in response to various development projects and environmental concerns. ELAC also collaborated with various organizations in conducting environmental law seminars and paralegal trainings, and in forming coalitions/networks on environmental issues.