By Alfonso T. Ruda
DIPOLOG CITY - The
Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in partnership with the Department of Interior
and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of National Defense (DND) is
slated to hold a forum on human rights and anti-torture here on Dec. 10, 2013
to cap the Human Rights Consciousness Week celebration.
Republic
Act 9201, which declares every Dec. 4-10 as National Human Rights Consciousness
Week and the International Human Rights Day in the Philippines, mandates all
government agencies, including government-owned and controlled corporations to
make people aware of their basic human rights in relation to the functions and
services offered by these government instrumentalities.
Atty.
Frederick Ian S. Capin, CHR-9 regional director, said the forum aims to raise
public awareness and knowledge on human rights matter, both among people who
are lucky enough to enjoy their rights, those who are not so lucky, and those
who have little freedom and few rights.
Capin
said the forum is also in pursuance of Republic Act 9745 otherwise known as the
Anti-Torture Act of 2009. Its target participants are officers and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP),
Philippine National Police (PNP) and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP)
with resource persons from DILF, AFP, and CHR-Central Office.
It
can be recalled that every Dec. 10, people around the world commemorate the
International Human Rights Day as the United Nations General Assembly had
adopted the Universal Declaration on Human Rights on December 10, 1948. (PIA9)