CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY(MindaNews/5 January)—A local civil society group will file a civil suit against City Hall, as the legal trust fund they have launched online has been receiving generous donations, the group’s leader said Friday.
In an interview, Richard Nixon Baban, Bangon Kagay-an chair, said that they will slap a Writ of Kalikasan case against the city government this week.
“While we are still waiting for the board resolutions of Sendong Survivors Collective and Task Force Macajalar, we are collating all evidences and testimonies which we will use in our case,” said Baban.
He added that the complainants who are already on board in the filing of the case are his group and the Save CDO Movement, represented by its chair Ralph Abragan.
A Writ of Kalikasan is the environmental counterpart of the Writ of Amparo, which mainly protects a citizen’s civil rights. It is a legal remedy provided for in Section 16, Article II of the 1986 Constitution that guarantees every citizen’s right to a “balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature.”
Bangon Kagay-an (BK) has employed the human rights lawyer-couple tandem of Mar and Evangeline Carrasco to lead their legal team of 10 lawyers. Baban, however, requested to withhold the names of the other lawyers in their legal team.
Meanwhile, the Bangon Kagay-an legal trust fund launched last month has been steadily receiving donations, even from Kagay-anons based abroad.
“Thank you very much Francis Banayna, based in Qatar for the generous donation of Php 10,000 for the BK legal trust fund, which will be used for the filing of a Writ of Kalikasan case intended to stop the bleeding of our environment in Cagayan de Oro,” posted Baban in their Facebook page.
For those who want to be part of this worthy cause, you can donate to our account at Banco De Oro-Cagayan de Oro Branch (Account Name: Bangon Kagay-an, Inc., CA No. 002848026748), he said. (Cong B. Corrales/MindaNews)
