House panel approves bill protecting human rights defenders

The House Committee on Human Rights on Monday approved the substitute bill of the measure seeking to protect the rights of human rights defenders.

During a panel meeting, the substitute bill for House Bills 15, 161 and 240, or the Human Rights Defenders' Protection Act, was approved "subject to styles."

According to Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, principal author of House Bill 15, the proposed measure will also strengthen the purpose of certain government agencies in protecting human rights defenders.

"The Human Rights Defenders' Protection Act does not in any way make government agencies redundant. As a matter of fact, this bill will make them more relevant in the protection of human rights defenders," Lagman said.

The bill defines a human rights defender as "any person, who individually or in association with others, acts or seeks to act to protect, promote, or strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms and welfare of the people, at the local, national, regional, and international levels."

Lagman said human rights defenders are "surrogates," noting that their emergence is both an indictment and symptomatic of the failure and neglect of the government to fully protect and fulfill human rights."

He said the tragic plight of human rights defenders is a result of the relentless prosecution against them by the government, adding that it also aggravates the State's supposed culpable non-compliance with the Constitutional mandate of giving value to the dignity of every individual.

According to the lawmaker, the bill gives meaning and efficacy to the nine core international human rights instruments on the protection and promotion of human rights.

Under Lagman's bill, there will be a creation of the human rights' defenders protection committee that will protect human rights defenders from intimidation and reprisals and will also be mandated to probe into complaints regarding human rights violations against the defenders. —KG, GMA News