The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) warmly welcomes Judge Maria Amifaith S. Fider-Reyes as its newly appointed Commissioner, completing the roster of the 6th Commission en banc (CEB). Her appointment represents a pivotal milestone in fulfilling the leadership structure crucial to CHR’s mandate of upholding and advancing human rights in the Philippines.
Commissioner Fider-Reyes joins CHR nearly three years after the commencement of the current term, becoming the fifth and final member of the Commission’s highest decision-making and policy-setting body. As the third female member of the sixth CEB, her inclusion bolsters gender representation and reinforces the diverse expertise guiding the Commission’s work.
Appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on 13 November 2024, with formal transmission to CHR on 15 November 2024, Commissioner Fider-Reyes will serve a term extending until May 2029.
Before her appointment to CHR, Commissioner Fider-Reyes retired in December 2023 from the judiciary after 17 years of service. She was the Presiding Judge of the Regional Trial Court (RTC), Third Judicial Region, City of San Fernando, Pampanga, Branch 42, which functions as a general jurisdiction court and a designated Special Commercial Court. For 12 years, she concurrently served as Acting Judge for other courts in the National Capital Judicial Region, including those in Makati, Las Piñas, Quezon City, and Manila.
Her distinguished career also includes private practice in the Palma Ybañez Fider-Reyes Teleron Law Offices in Cebu City, the SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan Law Offices and the U.P. University Legal Counsel. She taught law in the University of Southern Philippines, and the University of San Jose Recoletos. She is a lecturer for the MCLE of the UP Law Center Institute for the Administration of Justice.
Her extensive judicial experience is further enriched by her time as a Court Attorney and her work with esteemed Justices of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals.
Commissioner Fider-Reyes has demonstrated a strong commitment to professional development. A Chevening Scholar, she specialized in the International Rights of the Child at the University of London, Queen Mary and Westfield Colleges. She has also been a visiting scholar at the International Legal Institute in Washington, D.C., and earned her Master of Laws at the University of Haifa in Israel.
Her rich legal and judicial experience equips her to be an invaluable asset to the Commission. Her multidisciplinary expertise and unwavering dedication to justice will undoubtedly strengthen CHR’s initiatives to protect and promote the rights of vulnerable, disadvantaged, and marginalized sectors.
The Commission is confident that Commissioner Fider-Reyes’s leadership will further energize CHR’s efforts in crafting policies, advocating for rights, and instituting preventive measures to address human rights challenges in the Philippines. ###