The Commission on Human Rights (CHR), as the independent national human rights institution, continues to recognise that efforts to improve the human rights situation in the country needs to be holistic—involving both civil and political rights, and social, economic, and cultural rights.

As such, we recognise what the government has achieved thus far in championing the right to education through access to free quality tertiary education; right to health through the Universal Healthcare Act, and the people’s right to effective and efficient public service through the Ease of Doing Business Act among others.

CHR looks forward to the realisation and meaningful implementation of other priority bills that also pursues protection of human rights, including the creation of the Center for Disease Control, Virology, and Vaccine Institute; protection of the rights of overseas Filipino workers; setting up of evacuation centers nationwide; and focus on improving the country’s disaster resiliency to name a few.

CHR, however, stresses that commitment to uphold human rights also entails upholding equality and non-discrimination in improving the lives of all Filipinos.

We decry the culture of killings and the blatant disregard for the rule of law. CHR continues to stress the primacy of the human life, even as we address issues on criminality. We emphasize that the call to respect the rights of the accused does not mean disregarding the crimes committed and its ill effect to victims. In every call to the government to also investigate and act, CHR also demands that perpetrators be made accountable in recognition of the harm and consequences of crimes as forms of human rights abuse and violation. But this is exactly we have laws—to ensure accountability from perpetrators guided by due process and preserve guaranteed rights to all Filipinos as embodied in our very Constitution. We believe that this balance is possible under our justice system.

We continue to urge the government to uphold their sworn mandate to respect, protect, and fulfill the rights and dignity of all. CHR remains to be hopeful that, despite such pronouncements that seem to tolerate a culture of killing and impunity, authorities will still adhere in doing what is good and right, as guided by our laws.

At the same time, with the recently inked UN Joint Program on Human Rights, we trust that relevant government agencies, including the Department of Justice and the Philippine National Police, will do its best in addressing the observed “widespread and systematic killings” and prevalence of other human rights violations raised by the international community and the subsequent commitment of the government to address these transgressions and improve compliance to human rights obligations and standards. ###