These times, they say, seem to be hopeless times. During the first quarter of the year, our country already experienced calamities that tested the Filipino spirit. From the Taal volcano eruption on January 12 that caused phreatic blasts resulting in ash fall over Batangas province and nearby areas, the recent typhoons which caused major damage to different parts of the country, to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
With the holidays fast approaching, it seems as though that the Filipino household is set for a somber, silent night this Christmas. We might have to tone down or skip the festivities to protect our loved ones. And that the air is silent because of the lives lost and the calamities experienced this year.
There is really so much reason for our hope to waiver. However, amidst this possibility of a silent night this Christmas, we see that a new dawn is coming and things can only get better.
Yes, things can get better. It is our responsibility to make things better. It is also our responsibility to keep in mind that there are matters that we should not keep silent about. Specifically, it is our duty to uphold everyone’s human rights in these times of crisis.
We celebrate this annual event to commemorate the day the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948. It marks a milestone in the advancement of humanitarianism. The UDHR proclaimed inalienable rights to which every human being is inherently entitled to regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, national or social origin, or other status.
This year’s Human Rights Day theme: Karapatan at Pagbangon sa Lahat ng Panahon: Recover Better — Stand Up for Human Rights relates to the COVID -19 pandemic and focuses on the need to build back better by ensuring Human Rights are central to recovery efforts. We aim to engage the public and our partners to bolster transformative action and showcase practical and inspirational examples that can contribute to recovering better and fostering more resilient and just societies. Human Rights are instrumental to recovery and human rights should not be forgotten in recovery efforts.
In this time of public emergency and calamity, the government has core obligations on the right to health that relate to the delivery of emergency health care, which are access to health facilities, goods, and services on a non-discriminatory basis, provision of essential drugs, equitable distribution of all health facilities and the adoption and implementation of a national public health strategy and plan of action that address the health concerns of the whole population.
A human rights-based approach to health is essential to uphold and respect human dignity. Human rights standards and principles should be mainstreamed at all stages of health programming. A human rights-based analysis focuses on the condition of the most affected.
In the coming year, it is important to ensure that there is vaccine equity and vaccine efforts are speedy, quick, and effective. While we acknowledge in this pandemic that everyone is a right-holder of the right to health, this public challenge must also recognize inter-related human rights standards and identification of groups suffering from a greater denial of rights with a deeper understanding of why these problem occur, surfacing the underlying root cause of exclusion, discrimination, and inequality.
This pandemic exposed the underlying multiple disadvantaged situation of people and the multilayered inequalities in society. In line with this, we must give specialized attention to vulnerable groups. These include internally displaced persons, the indigenous cultural communities, older persons, persons with disabilities, and persons deprived of liberty. They have specific needs due to their unique circumstances that must also be addressed. Students and children are also now vulnerable because of education needs amidst the digital divide.
They need child protection measure, including the right to internet safety of children. Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states that every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law and no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life. Also, the World Health organization (WHO) states that “the right to health for all the people means that everyone should have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without suffering financial hardship. No one should get sick and die because they are poor or because they cannot access the health services they need.”
Having said these, we at the Commission would like to acknowledge the efforts and sacrifices of our frontliners. Every day they risk their lives to save COVID-19 patients in the fights against the novel coronavirus. These healthcare professionals, no doubt, are the modern-day heroes that deserve our snappy salute and support.
We also salute our other frontline workers which include our drivers, grocery store workers, fast food crew members, vendors, public servants, and the countless numbers of volunteers who braved to sacrifice their families and homes for the sake of the Filipino people in the midst of the killer COVID-19 pandemic. They are heroes too that deserve our salute and support.
We would also like to acknowledge the efforts of governments and pharmaceutical companies in seeking an antidote for this COVID-19 virus. It clearly shows that the right to health is one of the priorities that we must keep in mind as we continue to battle this virus. Despite the worldwide effort to develop safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19 and ramp up the production capacity, it is inevitable that initial vaccine supply will be limited.
Therefore, our leaders must develop plans to ensure the equitable allocation of limited doses until there is sufficient supply. When vaccines become licensed and available broadly to the public, we have to hurdle the challenge of equitable distribution and access for all who are recommended for vaccination. Existing systems for allocation, distribution, and monitoring for safety and effectiveness are assets of the current immunization delivery system that should be leveraged to ensure equitable distribution and broad uptake of licensed vaccines. The system should be strengthened, where possible, to address gaps in access to immunization services and to modernize the public health infrastructure.
I began this message about the seeming hopeless situation we find ourselves in. But actually, things look brighter than they seem. And, we see hope. We must seek out a light at the end of the tunnel. It is in this spirit of global togetherness that gives us hope. In this time of crisis, we are all neighbors in the world, and success will only be achieved when all people, in all countries, are protected from the virus.
Let us treasure this opportunity to reaffirm the significance of human rights in building the kind of just society that we want, the need for universal solidarity, including our interconnectedness, must be taken into consideration so that any challenges that we may encounter in the future can be easily addressed.
As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, “The threat is the virus, not people. The virus threatens everyone. Human rights uplift everyone.” It is our duty to respond to these threats while protecting human rights and the rule of law. There is light at the end of the tunnel. We have to keep our eyes on it and keep the faith and work together to recover better. Happy human rights day!
Contact Person:
Sinabi ni Atty. Jacqueline Ann C. de Guia
CHR Spokesperson
Telephone No: (02) 928-5792 / 0908 875 3637
Email Address: comms.chr@gmail.com