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Camp Guillermo Nakar, Lucena City , Laguna , Philippines
22 November 2008
delivered by
LEILA M. DE LIMA
Chairperson
Good morning.
The theme “Dignity and Justice for all of us” is a commemorative theme, marking the upcoming 60 th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on December 10. As with every commemorative celebration, like our own birthdays, wedding anniversaries or national holidays, the 60 th Anniversary of the UDHR is a time for us to gather in solidarity, reflect on the years that have passed and look in one direction to the future.
Our gathering today, featuring the leadership of our country, from the military, police and our student and youth representatives is an unusual combination. Yet it is also an important opportunity to bring a greater understanding of human rights between the protectors of the people, our Police and Military, and our county's greatest treasure, our children. Today is an opportunity for our children to see the human face of the very people that have sworn to uphold and protect the Philippine Constitution that embodies the values and spirit of the Filipino people. Today is also an opportunity for us human rights protectors to see the human face of the very people, none so acutely captured by the faces of our children, that we have sworn to guard with our lives. Today, thus, in our gathering of the leadership of the Protectors and Protectees, in the name of human rights, is indeed a momentous occasion.
It is easy to forget that human rights is not a thrust and cherished value of this generation only. It has been around longer than most of us. It seems to be a very important issue now, as evidenced by newspaper and television reports. It seems so important now in the face of the recent armed conflict in Mindanao , in the face of arbitrary deprivations of life and liberty, and in the face of demolitions of homes of the underprivileged. Yet, human rights have always been of grave importance throughout the history of our beloved country. Especially our children, who have no memory of the upheavals of the decades long ago, human rights may seem new. For us, the older generations, it is easy to forget how perpetually important human rights are because aged people simply forget.
Like with any celebration or gathering of friends or relatives, when we gather, we re-tell old stories and re-live old memories. Our gathering today is also a re-telling of the long history of the UDHR, the long history of the Filipino people's desire and resolve to uphold and cherish these values.
The 60 th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a milestone in human achievement common to every man, woman and child of every nation, every corner of the world and by its longevity, every living and future generation. It represents the embodiment of the highest values held dearly by generations alive sixty years ago at a time that the world was bleeding and reeling from yet another world war, yet it remains universally steadfast, true and unassailable to every human being to this day. Through every struggle and upheaval since 1948, the values enshrined in the UDHR have been the guiding principles on human rights not only for Filipinos, but for the entire human race.
The true test of strength of the UDHR lies not just in the adherence of all nations, but in its internalization to every human being. Indeed, the UDHR espouses as a universal value - human rights for all. Yet the challenges that remain in achieving this penultimate standard beckon us to uphold a corollary value – that the protection and promotion of human rights is a concern of the whole international community, and the entire human race. It is a duty incumbent on every person. No political boundary, racial distinction, revered creed or geographical location brings this duty beyond the ambit of any nation, government, people or individual. Protection and promotion is as essential as the inherence of human rights.
The past six decades of the UDHR’s existence has inspired generations of human rights defenders from the ranks of the Filipino people. From the darkest of eras that many here do not even remember, requiring the most radical and aggressive stances of human rights defense to the most inconspicuous of instances begging the most understated gestures of humanity, the Filipino people has produced heroes of human rights of every shape, form and kind.
While the struggle to attain an equality of human rights for every Filipino remains a challenge and the task will forever fall on the lap of every succeeding generation, we may all look back to that fateful day in December of 1948, and know that the charted course had been set; it remains unwavering and true. All that is left for us is to galvanize our hearts and resolve, to carry out the spirit and essence of the UDHR and make universal human rights a reality for all of us and for generations to come.
For all of you who are here today, leaders of every shape and kind, all there is for us to do is to live out these values and share what we have re-affirmed today. For the police and military commanders, to cascade down to the lowest echelons of your commands the values and principles enshrined in the UDHR. For you, our children, as student leaders and more importantly, as the future protectors of human rights for the Filipino people, share with your friends, peers and classmates, what you have learned here. To honor the long history of the struggle of the Filipino people and the human race to uphold and promote human rights requires us, all of us, to carry the spirit of the UDHR, the memory of generations before us, and keep sacred and true – all human rights for all of us, for all time.
Again, good day to all of you. Mabuhay kayo at ang malayang Pilipinas!