THE Supreme Court will soon introduce the writ of kalikasan to protect the right of Filipinos to a healthy environment.
This was announced on Tuesday by Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno during the awarding of grants to advocacy groups by the Karapatan Sa Malikhaing Paraan (KaSaMa) foundation at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.
Saying the right to a healthy and vibrant environment is also a form of human right, Puno told the audience that the new writ will be issued by the high court in two or three months.
“Before I retire, the judiciary will issue a writ to protect our people (and allow them) to be healthy and vibrant,” he said.
He called the new issuance the writ of kalikasan (nature).
“It will be the equivalent of the writ of habeas corpus and the writ of amparo in the matter of protecting our right to a balanced ecology,” the chief justice said.
He also said the writ would be a unique Philippine contribution to jurisprudence. He recalled that the writ of habeas corpus originated from Britain while the writ of amparo came from Latin America.
“The writ of kalikasan will come from the Philippines,” he said.
Puno’s announcement came as he deplored the continuing violation of human rights in the country. He recalled that about 10 days ago, the bodies of two dead men were found in Tandang Sora, Quezon City, their bodies bearing signs of torture.
Elsewhere, thousands of families lost their homes in a demolition project of the government. The uprooted families were not given a relocation site.
He cited those instances as indications that human rights violations have become a common occurrence in the country.
Still, Puno said, “The Maguindanao massacre underscores the fact that the human rights problem has gone from bad to worse.”
Indicating that it was time for Filipinos to take action, the chief justice said, “We need a rude social awakening to the distressing reality that each of us has been part of this tragedy.”
“We need to realize that we ourselves must effect the change to stop unbridled violations,” he said, adding, “All of us must enthuse ourselves in this crucial undertaking.”