The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) warmly welcomes the recent graduation of 68 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) from the University of Perpetual Help System Dalta – Bilibid Extension School (UPHSD-BES) program. According to the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), 11 PDLs have earned their college degree in Entrepreneurship, while 57 PDLs have completed high school.
Section 1, Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution declares that the State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all. Furthermore, this aligns with Article 26, Section 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which states that everyone has the right to education.
Notably, in September, the CHR also welcomed the launch of the first-ever in-person classes for PDLs at the Manila City Jail. This initiative, in partnership with the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Open University (PUPOU), aims to rehabilitate and reintegrate PDLs by providing access to education. https://bit.ly/47JVjlt
In line with this, the graduating student-inmates of the UPHSD-BES program serve as a symbol of success and underscore that education is a right of all, including those who are in conflict with the law. We commend the BuCor and the University of Perpetual Help System Dalta for this initiative and for making this remarkable milestone possible.
As the country’s national human rights institution, the Commission urges other learning institutions, universities, and the education sector to collaborate with the BuCor and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in providing educational programs to strengthen the existing education system for the PDLs. We believe that by giving them an opportunity to complete their education, we are paving the way for genuine rehabilitation and reformation—allowing the PDLs to engage with the right opportunities and to enter into society without judgment and discrimination.
Congratulations at taos-pusong pagbati mula sa CHR!