With Puerto Princesa City being declared as a Green Justice Zone in November 2023, its resultant Green Justice Hall now enhances coordination and communication among the city’s justice agencies, improving the delivery of environmental justice.
The Green Justice Zone is part of the Justice Zone project supported by the European Union’s Justice Sector Reform Program, Governance in Justice II (GoJustII). It was established to improve teamwork among the justice sector’s principal agencies by serving as a venue and a mechanism for communication, principled cooperation, and studied coordination with deference to institutional independence.
Atty. Carlo Gomez, the City Environment and Natural Resources Officer (Cenro), commended the strengthened collaboration of various government agencies through the Puerto Princesa City-Green Justice Zone (PPC-GJZ) as part of the premiere showcase of national-local government alliance for efficient and effective delivery of justice in environmental protection and natural resource management.
“PPC-GJZ’s role is very significant to government agencies who craft policies in the protection of our environment. With the establishment of PPC-GJZ, the only green/environmental Justice Zone in the country so far, or maybe globally, it is not only ensured that the constitutional rights of the accused are protected, it is also guaranteed that justice is served to our environment by way of imprisonment to the offenders, environmental restoration and reparations of the ecosystem services destroyed, etc. The strategy is to see that justice is served to both realms,” Gomez explained.
The Green Justice Hall and PPC-GJZ are headed by head convenor Jocelyn Sundian-Dilig, Executive Judge of the Regional Trial Court of Palawan. Its members include the PPC-GJZ committee, Gomez, CENR Officer Alexander Mancio, PENR Officer Felizardo Cayatoc of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and Atty. Teodoro Jose Matta, Executive Director of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD).
The establishment of PPC-GJZ, according to Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, is “the justice sector’s concrete contribution towards affording our people their constitutional right to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature.” He/she adds that a Justice Zone is where judges, prosecutors, law enforcers, and representatives of local government units meet on common interests, coordination, and information sharing.
At the official launching of PPC-GJZ last November, top officials of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, interior and local government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr, justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, and DENR Secretary Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga led the official declaration of Puerto Princesa as the country’s green justice zone.
Gesmundo described the Green Justice Zone in Puerto Princesa as a comprehensive solution for the justice sector to address urgent environmental and climate change problems.
“We are fully aware of the existential threat of climate change, and that the duty to ensure a sustainable ecology is fundamental to all of our reforms,” Gesmundo said during the launch and official declaration, highlighting that the people’s survival and that of the succeeding generations are at stake.
