Damcelle Cortes

Damcelle Cortes
PhD Researcher

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About

Damcelle is an Assistant Professor teaching graduate courses in development management at the College of Public Affairs and Development, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). She has served in various consulting capacities in development programming and public policy and governance, particularly in the areas of human rights including gender and children’s rights, justice reform, and institutional capacity building. In these engagements, she brings with her a mix of professional experiences as a lawyer, legislative officer, researcher, and development practitioner. 

As a PhD student, Damcelle pursues a new interest by investigating the interplay of roles among scientists and judges in science-related litigation. Her home university, UPLB, leads local research on genetically engineered crops. Its field trials on transgenic eggplant have been subject of a controversial case before the Supreme Court and will serve as case study for her dissertation. 

Damcelle completed BA Social Science from Ateneo de Manila (honours), Juris Doctor from the University of the Philippines (honours), and Master in Public Administration as a Mason Fellow and Fulbright scholar at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Affiliations

Research interests

Principal investigator: Co-constructing roles: Science and courts in the Philippine GM eggplant litigation 

Principal investigator: Legal Feminism in Philippine Jurisprudence, EU Governance in Justice Program II 

Co-investigator: The Dynamics of Asian Development: Understanding Asia and Its Ways Forward, Nagoya University and Springer Verlaig

Publications

Journal articles 
Rodriguez JC, Tirol MC, Flor BG and Cortes DT (2016) ‘Readiness and Willingness of Selected Stakeholders to Apply Participatory Radio Program Planning to Rural Radio Broadcasting in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Philippines’, Philippine Journal of Development Communication 8: 114-119. 

Cortes DT( 2013) ‘Glass half-empty or half-full? The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights as an articulation of the ASEAN's view of humanitarian intervention', Journal of Global Studies, Occasional Supplement, pp. 147-174.

Books 
Velasco LR, Rola, AC, Lantican FA, Amit, MC, Carada WB, Cortes DT, Javier AB, Paunlagui, MM and Talavera MM (2012) Agenda for action for food and nutrition security in the Philippines: a systems perspective and convergence initiatives. University of the Philippines Los Baños. 

Guanzon RV, Dulnuan JR, Pichay NB, Papa MCB and Torres DS (2006) The Davide Court and its Contributions to Gender and Jurisprudence. University of the Philippines Center for Women’s Studies. 

Guanzon RV, De Dios AJ, Torres DS and Balayon TD (2006) Engendering the Philippine Judiciary. University of the Philippines Center for Women’s Studies. 

Book Chapter
Mercado CA and Torres DS (2008) Court-Annexed Mediation, Summing Up the Past and Charting the Future. A Sourcebook on Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms. Justice Reform Initiatives Support, National Judicial Institute of Canada.

Monographs
Torres, CS, Cortes DT, Centeno EG and Gopela JN (2019) Lawyers’ Understanding and Attitude towards Agri-Biotechnology, Implications to Lawyers’ Engagement in Agri-Biotech in the Philippines. Southeast Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture. Laguna, Philippines.

Llarena ED and Cortes DT (2019) Legal Arguments on Agri-Biotechnology: Content Analysis of Legal Arguments Related to the Bt Eggplant Case. Southeast Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture. Laguna, Philippines.

Others

Cortes, D.T. (2020). Scientists should break out of their bubbles. Rappler. (opinion piece)

Cortes, D.T. (2017). Why Women Do Not Run for Office. Gender and Elections Magazine. Philippine Commission on Elections.(feature article)

Cortes, D.T. (2017). #Bilang Babae. Gender and Elections Magazine. Philippine Commission on Elections. (feature article)

Guanzon RV, Cortes DT and Ridon T (2012) Manual on Using Civil Forfeiture under the Anti-Money Laundering Act to Fight Trafficking in Persons. University of the Philippines Law Center Institute of Administration of Justice and American Bar Association.

Cortes, D. T. (2013). Understanding Gender and Reproductive Health – An Electoral Primer. Philippine Legislators’ Council for Population and Development. (primer)

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