Residents of Sitio San Roque in Brgy Bagong Pag-asa, Quezon City were said to be arrested earlier today, 1 April 2020, after breaking the community quarantine to protest the alleged lack of relief support from the local government resulting to hunger felt by families in the midst of a COVID-19 lockdown.

These actions are cause for concern since it fails to respond to the root cause of the unrest, such as needs for food and other forms of assistance communities clamour due to lack of access to livelihood.

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) cannot emphasize further the importance of protecting human rights during a national health crisis. Stricter policies, such as the enhanced quarantine, were set to protect the people’s right to health. However, there are other determinants of a healthy life that the government should equally satisfy, including food and nutrition; adequate housing; access to safe and potable water and adequate sanitation; and safe and healthy working conditions for those exempted from the quarantine among others.

We continue to remind the government—both at the national and local levels—that a human-rights based approach to health is crucial in upholding human rights in this time of pandemic. And the best way for government to address similar protests is by ensuring that relief and support to the most vulnerable and marginalised are carried out without exclusion, discrimination, and inequality.

CHR recognises that there are local government units whose practice may be seen as best practices in addressing the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis. It is then best, especially for local governments, to continue to share and apply measures that work in providing social safety nets to the poorest of the poor so that we all emerge out of this pandemic with our health and dignity intact.

CHR has already reached out to the concerned local government to seek clarification on the circumstances that triggered the protest and other ways to address the situation. ###