Community-based paralegalism has beenactive in the Philippines for the past 30 years, and yet itscontribution to access to justice and the advancement of therights and entitlements of the poor has been largely anundocumented. This paper attempts to provide a frameworkstudy on the history, nature, and scope of paralegal work inthe Philippines, based on the experience of 12 organizationsthat are active in the training and development ofcommunity-oriented paralegals. The study first provides aworking definition of a community-based paralegal, and thenexamines the work of paralegals, their systems ofaccountability or lack thereof, and issues regardingrecognition by the state and civil society actors. It alsoexplores facilitating and hindering factors that aid orimpinge upon the paralegals' effectiveness. A majorcontributor to the work of paralegals was thedemocratization process after the overthrow of thedictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos and the continuingevolution of legal rights spurred by the relativelyprogressive constitution ratified in 1987. Three dimensionsof paralegal's work are identified and explored,namely, building rights awareness, settling privatedisputes, and increasing state and corporate accountability.The study ends with conclusions and recommendations withregard to sustainability, monitoring and evaluation,funding, and the prospects for paralegal work over the long term.
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