Director of National Prosecution Development (NPD), Atty. Nelisa Guevara- Garcia brings with her over 20 years of experience practicing law. She joined IJM’s prosecution team in 2006.
As Director of the NPD team, Lisa spearheads the development of the five domains of sustainability in prosecution: Infrastructure, Staffing, Financial sustainability, Performance, and Policies. Lisa ensures that prosecution goals are met, in collaboration with IJM Philippines’ national and regional-local offices.
In 2020, Lisa led her team in the conceptualization and publication of the Compendium of Legal Resources for the Prosecution of Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC) in the Philippines, the first of its kind in the realm of OSEC Prosecution in the Philippines, and officially endorsed by former Undersecretary Atty. Emmeline Aglipay-Villar of the DOJ Inter-Agency Council Task Force (IACAT) for the use of government prosecutors in the prosecution of this crime.
Before taking on the role of NPD Director, Lisa served as the Executive Head of Prosecution Development in IJM’s Manila office, leading a team of lawyers in prosecuting cases of OSEC alongside public prosecutors through collaborative casework. Together they developed innovative prosecution strategies by testing legal principles and existing case law while building the capacity of government partners toward system reform.
Throughout her time with IJM, Lisa actively prosecuted both child sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation cases in her own capacity as private prosecutor, resulting in 52 case convictions of 45 perpetrators within 7 years. Three of these case convictions were further affirmed in the Supreme Court, adding to the growing jurisprudence on Human Trafficking in the Philippines.
Lisa speaks regularly at trainings, conferences and other speaking engagements both locally and internationally. Before IJM, Lisa worked as an attorney for the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines for 3 years. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Microbiology and her Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
Director of National Prosecution Development (NPD), Atty. Nelisa Guevara- Garcia brings with her over 20 years of experience practicing law. She joined IJM’s prosecution team in 2006.
As Director of the NPD team, Lisa spearheads the development of the five domains of sustainability in prosecution: Infrastructure, Staffing, Financial sustainability, Performance, and Policies. Lisa ensures that prosecution goals are met, in collaboration with IJM Philippines’ national and regional-local offices.
In 2020, Lisa led her team in the conceptualization and publication of the Compendium of Legal Resources for the Prosecution of Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC) in the Philippines, the first of its kind in the realm of OSEC Prosecution in the Philippines, and officially endorsed by former Undersecretary Atty. Emmeline Aglipay-Villar of the DOJ Inter-Agency Council Task Force (IACAT) for the use of government prosecutors in the prosecution of this crime.
Before taking on the role of NPD Director, Lisa served as the Executive Head of Prosecution Development in IJM’s Manila office, leading a team of lawyers in prosecuting cases of OSEC alongside public prosecutors through collaborative casework. Together they developed innovative prosecution strategies by testing legal principles and existing case law while building the capacity of government partners toward system reform.
Throughout her time with IJM, Lisa actively prosecuted both child sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation cases in her own capacity as private prosecutor, resulting in 52 case convictions of 45 perpetrators within 7 years. Three of these case convictions were further affirmed in the Supreme Court, adding to the growing jurisprudence on Human Trafficking in the Philippines.
Lisa speaks regularly at trainings, conferences and other speaking engagements both locally and internationally. Before IJM, Lisa worked as an attorney for the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines for 3 years. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Microbiology and her Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
