Region 10 Promotion Activities for 2004

            The year 2004 set off with Rights-Based Approach (RBA) applied in all human rights promotion activities. It can be recalled that RBA has been introduced and initially applied in 2003. This year the program has been integrated in the modules and session guides as well as in other advocacy works and networking in the region.

            At a glance, the human rights promotion activities with RBA application totaled to 167 seminars, lectures and other information dissemination activities covering a total of 2,856 participants from various sectors and distributed a total of 1,454 human rights materials. The breakdown of the activities are listed hereunder:

Table 1 - Promotion Activities Accomplishment

Trainings/Seminars

            Of the six (6) trainings conducted, three (3) were Human Rights Advocacy Courses for Police Officers; two (2) for student human rights volunteers and one (1) for public officials. It is noteworthy that issues and concerns during the interactions with police officers showed openness and sensitivity of their role in the protection of human rights. The participants manifested a certain level of maturity in understanding human rights in contrast to the indifference of their counterparts in the previous years.

            Two (2) batches of law student volunteers were also given Human Rights Education as a preparatory course in their human rights advocacy program in the western part of Misamis Oriental and Lanao del Norte. The capability building of local partners is an effort to bring human rights to the barangays.  

Lectures and Talks

            Lectures and talks accounted most of the human rights promotion activities at 32% as shown in Table 1. More often, these activities were coordinated with partner agencies and local government units which would not entail much budgetary requirements except for the human rights materials for distribution.

            Time and again, the topics on Basic Human Rights and the CHRP as an institution topped in the list, followed by Child Rights and Rights of Women. At the beginning of the year RBA has been integrated in the session guides of every lecture or talk given putting emphasis on the normative content of the rights and the levels of state obligations.   

Information Drive

            For the year, the info drive campaigns were solely on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to high school students. A total of 2,200 senior students covering 36 classrooms in eleven (11) schools were given information on CRC with about 821 child rights materials distributed to school librarians and guidance counselors.

            Among the students covered, 60% came from the urban centers while 40% were from the rural areas. It has been noted that as children they shared common interests on child abuse and freedom of expression on matters of the heart but significantly differed in their sentiments relating to child combatants, children as zones of peace and the like. Students in far-flung barangays were more concerned of their political rights while children in the cities were concerned of their civil rights. This observation is valid considering that children related their rights on the basis of their day-to-day experience.

            This year's information drives were done in the months of February and October, which also coincided with the Children's Month Celebration. RBA found also its application in the core content of each right discussed and the government measures to promote, protect and fulfill the rights of children.

            The campaign was designed as a "room-to-room approach" to develop intimate discussions and to encourage student participation.

Radio Program

              Radio program with 52 airings throughout the year ranked second in terms of the number of promotion activities. "CHR Infoline" is aired live over DXIM Radyo ng Bayan every Wednesday at 9:30-10:00 AM. The year 2004 saw the introduction of the RBA program in the airwaves being the main discussion for about a semester. The months of March and October were reserved for Women and Children issues, respectively.

            For this year, CHR airtime was reduced to thirty (30) minutes to accommodate other government agencies, nevertheless, the program remained popular.   But due to limited time, phone-in questions were received and answered beyond the CHR airtime.  

            Further, the office got invited in four (4) occasions in other radio stations when commemorative activities were celebrated in a particular month.

Press Releases and Tri-Media Interviews

            These activities were regularly done to inform the public of this region's activities.   A total of 16 press releases and coordination for tri-media interviews were conducted this year.

Commemorative Activities

• Women's Month Celebration - This office joined in the celebration with this year's theme "Women: Unifying Force for Peace and Good Governance." Spearheaded in the symposium in a local government unit; conducted broadcast campaign in another radio station apart from the regular radio program; attended women's assembly and participated in the inter-agency women's month activities such as symposium, outreach program and sportsfest.

• Human Rights Week Celebration - A weeklong activity focusing on this year's theme "Good Governance is Human Rights" were coordinated in the region which include the hanging of streamers in government offices; convocation; jail visit; lecture on child-friendly investigation; outreach to juvenile delinquents and broadcast campaign.

Production/Dissemination/Research of Human Rights Materials

            For the year, ten (10) human rights materials were produced consisting of 4,500 pages which include the following 1) Social Justice and Human Rights; 2) Government and CHRP; 3) Convention on the Rights of the Child; 4) RA 9262; 5) Basic Human Rights; 6) Bill of Rights; 7) CHR Overview; 8) Primer on Anti-VAWC; 9)   RBAD Materials and 10) Sexual Harassment.

            In 49 occasions, a total of 1,454 materials were distributed. It is noteworthy that in trainings for police officers and lectures for public officials, the participants themselves photocopied the materials or advance copies were provided to the agencies for production. These arrangements augmented the dissemination activities of the office at no cost.

            Finally, a total of 561 human rights related articles/features were compiled for reference.   

SUMMARY REPORT ON RBA UNDERTAKINGS

  Introduction:

            Rights-based approach to development (RBAD) is a conceptual framework for the process of human development that is normatively based on international human rights standards and operationally directed to promoting and protecting human rights.

            As the National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) in the country, the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHRP) performs varied roles in the application of RBA. One of these roles is to be an advocate, to initiate, support and recommend the use of RBA in various development and governance activities of the government and civil society at the policy, administrative, and program levels.

            Thus, at Region 10 the office started advocating RBA to different government offices. In its various orientation activities, these are the subjects discussed:

•  Definition of Human Rights and Development
•  Definition of Rights-Based Approach to Development
•  Rationale for a Rights-Based Approach in the Philippines
•  Foundations of Rights-Based Approach to Development
•  Duties of the State under the UN Declaration on the Right to Development
•  Definition of the Right to Development
•  Development from the Rights Perspective
•  Action Framework for RTD/RBA
•  Action Framework with Human Rights and Development as a work in
    Progress Full Convergence into just one circle
•  What RBA Seeks to Mainstream
•  What RBA in Governance Seeks to Achieve in:
•  Government Institutions
•  Private Sector
•  Civil Society

A. RBAD Information Drive at POPCOM-10

          Date                                               :            November 8, 2004     
          Time                                               :            9:00a.m.     
          Venue                                             :            POPCOM -10, J.V. Serina St.,                                                                              Cagayan de Oro City        
          Type/No. of Participants                 :            Government Employees/ 28     
          Type of Materials Distributed          :            RBAD Flyers (28 copies)     

      Questions Raised:

1. Is RBAD already applied at CHR-10 office?
2. Do you conduct Human Rights lectures also at NPA camps?
3. Don't you have a complete list of the International instruments to which the Philippines is a party signatory?

B. RBAD Information Drive at DOLE-10

    Date                                                        :   November 22, 2004
    Time                                                        :   9:00a.m.    
    Venue                                                      :   DOLE-10 Mini Conference Room,                                                                        C agayan de Oro City    
    Type and Number of Participants             :   Government Employees/35    
    Kind and No. of Materials Distributed      :   RBAD Flyer /35              

Matters/Subjects Discussed:

1.    Definition of Human Rights and Development

•  Definition of Rights-Based Approach to Development
•  Rationale for a Rights-Based Approach in the Philippines
•  Foundations of Rights-Based Approach to Development
•  Duties of the State under the UN Declaration on the Right to Development
•  Definition of the Right to Development
•  Development from the Rights Perspective
•  Action Framework for RTD/RBA
•  Action Framework with Human Rights and Development as a work in Progress Full     Convergence into just one circle
•  What RBA Seeks to Mainstream
•  What RBA in Governance Seeks to Achieve in:
•  Government Institutions
•  Private Sector
•  Civil Society

C. RBAD Information Drive at Land Transportation Office (LTO)-10

     Date                                                     :    November 25, 2004
     Time                                                     :    1:00 p.m.
     Venue                                                   :    LTO Conference Room, Bulua ,                                                                             Cagayan de Oro City
      Type and Number of Participants          :   Government Employees/ 18
      Kind and No.of Materials Distributed    :   RBAD Flyer/ 18 copies

Questions Raised:

1. Is there a violation committed if one of our employees here will ask money from our     clients?
2. We believe in the principle of non-discrimination but what can we do in cases where we      have to accommodate first high profile people doing transaction with us?

D.   RBAD Information Drive at MOSCAT

      Date                                                      :      December 2, 2004
      Time                                                      :     10:30 a.m.
      Venue                                                    :     MOSCAT, Claveria , Misamis Oriental
      Type and No. of Participants                  :     Agriculture Education students/ 29
      Kinds and No. of Materials Distributed   :     RBAD Flyer / 29 copies

Questions Raised:

1. As students what do you think is our role in development?
2. Is development still possible in our country where there is so much poverty?
3. Is this concept already applied in the government?

E. RBAD Information Drive for PNP Officers

     Date                                                :   December 10, 2004
     Time                                                :   9:30a.m.
     Venue                                              :   NEDA Mini Conference Room
      Type and No. of Participants           :   Police/ 80
      Kind and No. of Materials               :   RBAD Flyer/80 copies

RIGHTS BASED APPROACH TO DEVELOPMENT (RBAD)
ORIENTATION LECTURE