THE Philippines recently reaffirmed its commitment to further constructive dialogue and cooperation on human rights.
At the virtual briefing for the diplomatic corps on August 17, Secretary of Foreign Affairs (SFA) Enrique A. Manalo cited the country’s leadership role in creating and nurturing platforms for human-rights engagement in the Asean and in the United Nations, while “building bridges of trust and cooperation between our region and the UN human rights mechanisms and experts.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs organized the event as part of the government’s regular updating on its human rights efforts. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla and Undersecretary Severo S. Catura of the Presidential Human Rights Committee Secretariat (PHRCS) provided progress of commitments in the areas of good governance, accountability and the rule of law, in line with the UN Joint Program on Human Rights (UNJP) which was launched in July 2021.
Remulla underscored that the government would continue with its human rights commitments “with even more vigor and enthusiasm.” He recounted: “When I took the helm of the [Department of Justice (DOJ)] last month, I bared plans to boost the efficiency of the country’s criminal justice system.”
He shared his discussion with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) chief Benhur Abalos on immediate measures, including joint training and continuous learning programs for prosecutors and law enforcers in both remedial and substantive covering surveillance, procedures in conducting arrests, processing of crime scenes, and evidence preservation.
“The DOJ will be working closely with the DILG on plans to decongest our prison facilities, and to implement effective rehabilitation programs for persons deprived of liberty,” according to Remulla.
Pointing out ways the said priorities are consistent with commitments under the UNJP, the justice chief also mentioned milestones in boosting investigative capacities and improved functioning of the Administrative Order 35 mechanism, or the interagency committee that addresses extralegal killings and other grave violations of human rights.
Among the developments include a linkage with the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or extralegal killings on a training course covering the Minnesota Protocol on Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death; the creation of a victim-support and rehabilitation subworking group with policy discussion and capacity-building based on trauma-informed approach; plus talks on the creation of a National Referral Pathway on accountability to streamline complaint processes and facilitate investigations.
For his part, Catura stated that the lineup of major review processes on the Philippines in the next three months would be avenues to test the newly created digital tracking tool for human rights recommendations coming from different UN mechanisms called the “National Recommendations Tracking Database.”
“The [country’s] vast civic space is home to over 101,000 nonprofit organizations, of which 60,000 are NGOs actively engaged in various advocacies,” underlined the undersecretary. “The media environment that prides itself with over 2,000 private…entities significantly reinforces the vibrant civic space we speak of.”
Two revalidas, or constructive dialogue with human rights treaty bodies, are happening in September and October. They will tackle the country’s compliance to the conventions on child rights, as well as on civil and political rights, respectively.
The Philippine government also shared that preparations are in full swing for its fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review in November, and that it looks forward to receiving the UN Special Rapporteur on the Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children in November this year, and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression in 2023.
Referencing the joint program as a framework of technical cooperation on human rights, Manalo said its ultimate strength is that “the commitments…by the Philippines under the UNJP are not extraneous to, but in fact, are core to the functions of the government and to its programming. Thus, it has the highest degree of national ownership that is fundamental to its effectiveness and success.”
“The UNJP breaks new ground as an innovative tool of multilateralism, providing a better option to the current fragmented UN approaches to human rights cooperation and to politicized measures that rend trust and good faith,” he averred.
The SFA underlined that the UNJP “is holistic and synergistic as it is practical, as it bridges the human rights, development, and peace pillars of the UN. It pursues an inclusive multistakeholder approach, and demonstrates that with political will, new strategies can work to [advance the UN development system more meaningfully].”
Image credits: DFA-OPCD/Jeffrey Mendoza