The House of Representatives committee on human rights has approved the Human Rights Defenders Protection Act (HRDPA), a measure that seeks to protect the rights of Human Rights defenders.
Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante, Jr of Manila, the panel’s chairperson, said the objective of the measure “is to ensure that human rights defenders are able to undertake their activities freely and without fear.”
“For them to be effective, HR defenders need to work in a safe and enabling environment, and that is what we want to cultivate with the passage of this measure.”
The bill defines human rights defenfers as any person who, individually or in association with others, acts or seeks to act to protect, promote, or strive for the protection and realization of human rights.
Among the rights the HRDPA seeks to protect are: (1) right to promote and protect human rights; (2) right to form groups, associations and organizations; (3) right to seek and receive and disseminate Information; (4) right to communicate with non-governmental governmental and intergovernmental organizations; (5) right to peaceful assembly; (6) right to freedom of movement; (7) right to privacy; and (8) right against vilification.
Per the HRDPA, the right against vilification states that “a person, individually and in association with others, has the right against any act of false labeling, red- tagging, name-calling, or malicious and fabricated accusations against him or her of any offense, or from any other kind of vilification.”
The HRDPA also establishes a Human Rights Defenders Protection Committee composed of one chairperson and six members. The Chairperson shall be selected by the Commissioners of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) from among themselves in an en banc session.
The six members, on the other hand, shall be jointly nominated by two (2) representatives each of the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), Karapatan Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights (Karapatan), Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), and the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL). The aforementioned nominees shall be appointed by the CHR in an en banc session.