House approves bill protecting human rights defenders

Mara Cepeda

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House approves bill protecting human rights defenders

Rappler

The bill grants and protects a total of 17 freedoms of human rights defenders, including their freedom from intimidation on the grounds of their work

MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives on Monday, June 3, gave its nod to a bill that would define and protect the rights of human rights defenders.

A total of 183 legislators voted yes to House Bill (HB) No. 9199 on 3rd and final reading, with no other lawmaker voting no or abstaining from the vote. 

Albay 1st District Representative Edcel Lagman, who sponsored the bill, hailed its passage in the House. (READ: Powering through a crisis: Defending human rights under Duterte

“It is high time that we accord stronger legal protection to those who defend not only their own human rights and fundamental freedom, but those of others as well,” said Lagman.

But he urged the government of President Rodrigo Duterte to “cease immediately the public stigmatization of human rights defenders, which can incite perpetrators to act against them, and instead to publicly recognize the legitimacy and importance of their work.” (READ: U.N. expert to PH gov’t: Stop stigma against human rights defenders)

What freedoms does HB No. 9199 grant? The bill grants to human rights defenders a total of 17 rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom from intimidation or reprisal.

“No person shall be subjected, individually or in association with others, to any form of intimidation or reprisal on the grounds of or in relation to one’s status, activities, or work as a human rights defender,” reads Section 18 of the bill.

Section 19 also establishes a sanctuary for human rights victims and their families. 

All 17 freedoms to be granted to human rights defenders are the following:

  • Right to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms
  • Right to form groups, associations, and organizations
  • Right to solicit, receive, and utilize resources
  • Right to seek, receive, and disseminate information
  • Right to develop and advocate for human rights ideas
  • Right to communicate with non-governmental, governmental, and intergovernmental organizations
  • Rights against villification
  • Right to access, communication, and cooperation with international and regional human rights bodies and mechanisms
  • Right to participate in public affairs
  • Right to peaceful assembly
  • Right to represent and advocate
  • Right to freedom of movement
  • Right to privacy
  • Freedom from intimidation or reprisal
  • Right to establish a sanctuary for human rights victims and/or their families
  • Right to exercise cultural rights and to development of personality
  • Right to effective remedy and full reparation

Section 24 of the bill requires the state to “take all the necessary measures” to ensure the rights and fundamental freedoms granted to human rights defenders are protected and that all laws, policies, and programs of the government “are consistent with the rights” listed under the bill.

HB No. 9199 also requires the government to ensure human rights defenders are “able to undertake their activities and work in a safe and enabling environment free from restriction.”

Will it be passed into law soon? No. The bill would not become a law under the current 17th Congress, as session is set to adjourn on Tuesday, June 4. 

The Senate version of the bill has been pending at the committee level since February 2018. 

Past versions of the human rights defenders bill have long been languishing in the legislative branch since the 14th Congress. 

What is the state of human rights in the country? According to the United Nations, the Philippines is one of the countries where governments subject human rights defenders and activists to “an alarming and shameful level of harsh reprisals and intimidation.”

Karapatan, a human rights organization, reported that at least 134 have been killed since Duterte took office in June 2016. 

Still, human rights defenders in the Philippines persist in their work despite the culture of impunity under the Duterte administration. – Rappler.com

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Mara Cepeda

Mara Cepeda specializes in stories about politics and local governance. She covers the Office of the Vice President, the Senate, and the Philippine opposition. She is a 2021 fellow of the Asia Journalism Fellowship and the Reham al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship of the UN. Got tips? Email her at mara.cepeda@rappler.com or tweet @maracepeda.