6 Philippine universities receive P12 million in EU grants

MANILA, Philippines —The European Union awarded 215,000 euros or P12.1 million in grants to six Philippine universities that place access to justice for women and girls at the center of their clinical legal education programs.

The recipients of the grant are Adamson University in Manila, Father Saturnino Urios University in Agusan del Norte, St. Louis University in Baguio City, University of San Carlos in Cebu, University of the Visayas in Cebu and West Visayas State University in Iloilo.

The EU’s Governance in Justice Program or (GOJUST) aims to support the government’s efforts to improve access to justice for all.

A virtual signing ceremony for the grant was held on Tuesday to coincide with the celebration of International Women’s Day.

“Gender equality is one of the EU’s core values. Ensuring that women and girls have equal access to justice is fundamental to building a fair, inclusive, prosperous and peaceful society. The EU has been a committed partner to the Philippines’ justice sector reform since 2006. Our engagement stems from the importance we attach to democracy, human rights and the rule of law,” EU Ambassador Luc Véron said.

“We look forward to the transformative work of these universities in the year ahead. Women and girls are key agents of development and change. Their interventions will change lives for the better,” Véron said.

Filipino women want and deserve access to justice. But of the 35 percent of Filipinos who experienced legal problems in the last two years, only 20 percent were able to access help, according to the 2019 World Justice Report.

The universities will implement the clinical legal education program (CLEP) of the Supreme Court to promote access to justice for women and other vulnerable groups.

CLEP is a credit-earning teaching course that aims to provide law students with knowledge on the application of the law, delivery of legal services and promotion of social justice, especially to marginalized communities.

West Visayas State University will set up a legal help desk for women, children and marginalized groups in need of legal support and assistance.

The University of the Visayas will set up the help desk at the female dormitory of the Cebu City Jail to provide free legal services to women deprived of liberty.

Adamson University will create a corps of paralegal volunteers and focus on the legal empowerment and education of disadvantaged communities through workshops on the justice system, human rights and women or children’s rights.

Father Saturnino Urios University will work with indigenous communities on rights awareness, including women’s rights.

With a total grant of 19 million euros or P1.1 billion over a period of four years, the EU’s GOJUST Program supports the Supreme Court, Department of Justice and Department of the Interior and Local Government to improve access to justice for all Filipinos.

GOJUST also aims to strengthen the Commission on Human Rights so it can exert its constitutional mandate of civil and political rights protection and enhance human rights promotion consistent with the United Nations’ Paris principles.