Justice chief vows to sustain PH engagement on human rights

JUSTICE SECRETARY Menardo I. Guevarra affirmed the Philippines’ commitment to sustaining its long tradition of constructive engagement with the United Nations (UN), underlining that government human rights efforts and investments to strengthen national accountability mechanisms "stand to benefit even more from the Joint Program with the United Nations". 

Speaking during the High-Level Segment of the 49th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council on Monday night (PH time), Guevarra said the Philippines intends to pursue this engagement track even with the change in administration in June after the elections.

“But our country’s firm commitment to human rights will remain unaffected by the passing incumbency of administrations, rooted as it is on our long history of engagement with this Council and reflected in policies that protect and promote the fundamental rights and freedoms of our people,” he said.

He reported on the progress of the Department of Justice’s ongoing work on the review panel to investigate case files related to the anti-drug campaign and on suspected cases of extra-legal killings and other gross human rights violations while underscoring the openness of the Philippines to dialogue with experts in the UN system on capacity-building initiatives, including on the 1991 Minnesota Protocol on Investigations of Potentially Unlawful Deaths.

“Our recent experience confirms how constructive engagement can yield valuable dividends towards the protection and promotion of human rights,” he said, adding that the experience demonstrates how constructive engagement creates opportunities for the integration of human rights ideals into policies and measures “designed to promote the security of our nation, the peace of our communities, and the safety of our people”.

Citing Manila’s discussions with Norway, Australia, and the United States for support to the Joint Program on Human Rights, he said the Philippines extended its invitation for the UN Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children and the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression to undertake visits to the country.

The Philippines, he added, will continue to work with the international community and all its development partners to build on gains achieved and further deepen honest, open, meaningful, and enduring cooperation in the sphere of human rights.

He underlined before the UN Human Rights Council that the Philippines’ positive engagement "will draw the line between parties that engage in good faith, and those that abuse and exploit these mechanisms to make demands of accountability with little or no factual basis." 

The Philippines has consistently called for the Council to observe the highest standards of due diligence and objectivity, as some processes have been misused by some actors to make unsubstantiated or false claims.

Guevarra is among 143 Heads of States and Governments, Ministers, and other dignitaries addressing the Human Rights Council at its 49th Regular Session from 28 February 28, to April 1, 2022, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva Switzerland.