LEADERS of the House Committee on Human Rights on Thursday welcomed the decision of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to create a “super body” tasked with further enhancing human rights protection in the country.
Committee chairman Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. expressed hope for the independence of the newly created Special Committee on Human Rights Coordination.
“Bilang chairman ng [House Committee on] Human Rights, I commend the President for creating such a super body,” Abante said during a press conference at the House of Representatives.
“Siguro marahil ang gusto ko lang sabihin sa ating mga mamamayan ay hopefully this super body…will be more independent, rather than maging bias in a way,” he added.
Abante also proposed including legal luminaries and members of the judicial branch to enhance the super body’s composition.
Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, vice-chairman of the committee, welcomed the establishment of the super body as a positive step toward improving human rights efforts in the country.
“Any effort that would improve the quality of the efforts of our government to preserve human rights of each individual citizen to me is a welcome development,” Adiong said.
He also viewed the super body’s creation as a testament to the President’s recognition of the importance of human rights in governance.
“Ito ay recognition ng ating Pangulo na binibigyan nya ng primacy ang karapatan ng bawat tao, bawat Pilipino,” he said.
Adiong also stressed the importance of coordination between branches of government in addressing human rights issues effectively.
“It would really strengthen and promote and uphold human rights in this country,” he said.
Under the President’s Administrative Order No. 22, a Special Committee on Human Rights Coordination is formed to carry forward the efforts of the United Nations Joint Program on human rights (UNJP) in law enforcement, criminal justice, and policymaking.
The UNJP, spanning three years, was created to implement Human Rights Council resolution 45/33, adopted on October 7, 2020.
It focuses on capacity-building and technical cooperation to enhance human rights promotion and protection in the Philippines. The program is set to end on July 31.