GENERAL COMMENTS
COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE PHILIPPINES
on the Adoption of the Outcome of the Universal Review of the Philippines
36th Session of the Human Rights Council, Geneva, 22 September 2017 (3rd Cycle)

Written Statement

The Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines comes before you at a time when human rights promotion and protection in our country is at a crossroads.

The very idea of human rights, including adherence to the most fundamental precepts of the rule of law, are perceived by our government as an obstacle to governance. A culture of impunity continues and human rights are challenged on the ground by:

• the “relentless war against illegal drugs” that has resulted in thousands of deaths largely victimizing the poor,
• The extension of Martial Law in Mindanao and an active armed conflict that has caused internal displacements,
• the pursuit of a legislative agenda that reintroduces the death penalty and lowers the minimum age of criminal responsibility,
• the discovery of a secret detention cell and its denial by State agents,
• public threats, intimidation and false information against human rights defenders, journalists and oversight actors, including the Supreme Court and the Office of the Ombudsman, as they perform their respective constitutional mandates,
• the vote in the House of Representatives to reduce the Commission’s budget, along with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and the Energy Regulatory Board, to 20 US Dollars, which was recently restored but with a possible 15 per cent reduction in the total budget proposal.

Thus, we reiterate our call to take government to task and restate the recommendations of various States during the interactive dialogue of this third cycle of the UPR:

• End impunity and adhere to the rule of law and due process in the campaign against criminality,
• Ensure accountability, transparency and cooperation in investigations of human rights violations especially extra judicial killings, torture and enforced disappearances,
• Prosecute all perpetrators be they civilian or members of law enforcement,
• Honor its human rights obligations particularly the ICCPR and the Second Optional Protocol Aiming at the Abolition of the Death Penalty, Convention on the Rights of the Child and pass, among critical human rights legislations, a comprehensive anti-discrimination bill,
• Address and eliminate discrimination and violations against at-risk groups including women, children, LGBTI persons, persons with diverse SOGIE, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, migrant workers and members of their families, internally displaced persons, and whistleblowers and witnesses of crimes and atrocities,
• Enable national and international oversight mechanisms to perform their mandates, and
• Respect the independence of the Commission on Human Rights.

The Commission stands undaunted in this difficult time, empowered by the solidarity of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), Asia-Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF), human rights defenders, civil society, and ordinary citizens. We continue to perform our duty in accordance with the 1987 Philippine Constitution and the Paris Principles.

Despite a disabling, exclusionary environment, exclusion in the national UPR processes, formulation of the National Human Rights Action Plan and reticence in the investigation of persisting human rights violations the Commission on Human Rights remains steadfast in its commitment to promote and protect human rights, even as it continues to reach out to our government to uphold the sanctity of life and the dignity of every person. ■