nat'l and int'l news 2

Vow against VAW

The Vow to stop VAW (Violence Against Women and their Children - R.A. No. 9262) was launched at the Supreme Court's Session Hall on October 27, 2004.

The highlight of the activity is the ceremonial signing of R.A. No. 9262 by Supreme Court Justices headed by Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide , Jr., and the symbolic poster signed by CHRP through Chairperson Purificacion C. Valera Quisumbing , the Commission's partners such as; NGO and Civil Society Organizations and government agencies.

In her speech, Chairperson Quisumbing spelled out among others, the Commission's commitment to integrate R.A. No. 9262 through CHRP Barangay Human Rights Action Officer (BHRAO) activities and to monitor compliance of international covenant such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination of Violence against Women (CEDAW); Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and its protocols.

She assured that the Commission would provide legal assistance to the victims.

Some of the main points of R.A. No. 9262 are:

Petitioners can secure from the Courts the Protection Order.
The judge granted the right to issue Ex Parte temporary protection order with a lifetime of 30 days and is enforceable anywhere in the Philippines.
An indigent is exempted from the payment of docket fees and other expenses. In the event that the petitioner is not an indigent but the unexpected violence gives the her no opportunity to have access to her finances and pay the fees required, the court is ordered to accept the petition where there is showing of imminent danger or threat of danger to the life or limb of the petitioner.
If further hearing is necessary to decide the petition, the judge has to apply the Rule on summary Procedure.
The rule allows the exclusion of persons who do not have a direct interest in the case.
The petitioner has also the remedy of filing a criminal case or a civil case for damages against the offender.

CHRP stands out in the 7 th Int'l. HR meet in Korea

The 7 th International Conference for National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, was held at Lotte Hotel, Seoul, Republic of Korea on September 14-17, 2004, with the theme, " Upholding Human Rights during Conflict and while Countering Terrorism, where Commissioner Wilhelm D. Soriano was elected as the conference's rapporteur , while Chairperson Purificacion C. Valera Quisumbing, as one of the observers and Atty. Jacqueline V. Mejia as participant.

The conference was hosted, organized and supported by the National Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea (NHRCK), the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (ICC), the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights (APF).

The participants were divided into five groups and made to view types of human rights violations in the context of conflict and counter-terrorism focused on the important role of National Human Rights Institutions ( NHRIs ) in the protection of human rights.

Also discussed in the conference were: Conflict and Countering Terrorism: Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Conflict and Countering Terrorism: Civil and Political Rights and the Rule of Law; The Role of National Human Rights Institutions in Conflict Situation; Migration in the Context of Conflict and Terrorism; and Women's Rights in the Context of Conflict.

English, French and Spanish were the working languages of the conference while a simultaneous interpretation was provided.

Governance Festival Expo'04 launched

           In line with the 10-to-10 Governance Festival, CHRP with the Right to Development (RTD) Cluster members joined the Governance Expo 2004 on October 12-13, 2004 at SM Megatrade Hall 3, 5th floor Mega B, SM Mega mall, Ortigas Complex, this was a two-day road show organized by the Philippines-Canada Local Goverment Support Program.

          In this exposition, CHRP aimed to create and/or increase awareness of the public on all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights and to get feedback on the public's perception of human rights as well to provide information and referrals on human rights problems and issues.

          The Governance Festival is a bridging event between the closing of the 1st cycle of the goverment of the Philippines-United Nations Development Programme (GOP-UNDP) Governance Porrfolio covering Country Cooperation Framework II (CCF) of 2002-2004 and the Advent of its 2nd cycle under the UNDP Country Programme Document for the Philippines (CPD) for 2005-2009.

          The festival approximates the jumpstart institutionalization of the reform initiatives implimented over the past three years by the Gloria Arroyo (GMA) administration and the Groundbreaking of major strategic agenda under the CPD's thrust on human rights and justice, public administration and political reforms.

          Dubbed as 10-to-10, the Governance Reporm Campaign is Designed to refocus public attention from the divisiveness of the May 10, 2004 National Elections towards addressing the challenges and maximizing opportunities for nation building. 10-to-10 is a multi-sectoral campaign to dramatize the urgent need the collective action for reforms.

          The coded title of the festival as 10-to-10 marks the demonstration of learning community among the interlocking governance stakeholders such as the goverment, business or private sector and civil society, for knowledge sharing or governance reforms that should concern all sectors of the society to kick-off at the beginning of another six year term of goverment administration cited in the May 10 elections and ending in 2010.***