• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Human Rights Advocates Negros (HRAN) and BAYAN Negros are urging the Bacolod City Council to immediately enact the proposed Human Rights Defenders Ordinance, stressing the measure is timely and relevant amid continued attacks against rights workers.
The call was made during a public hearing at the Bacolod City Government Center last December 4 concerning the proposed legislation filed by Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr.
HRAN asserted that the ordinance, which stems from its lobbying efforts with their network MANINDIGAN!, is essential to protect human rights defenders (HRDs) in Bacolod City from threats, reprisal, and attacks attributed to state security forces.
The proposed measure, aims to institutionalize mechanisms for the safety and empowerment of HRDs.
Once passed, the group said Bacolod City would join Quezon City and Baguio City in adopting local measures for the protection of human rights defenders.
The measure directs the city government to respect, recognize, protect, and fulfill the rights of HRDs.
To implement it, the proposed ordinance mandates the creation of a Human Rights Defenders Committee.
It will be tasked to act promptly on reports of violations, assist victims and their families, ensure they receive legal, medical, and psychosocial assistance, and monitor and document cases of human rights violations.
The proposed ordinance also includes penalties for violations against those who violate its provisions.*TMD
GAWA STATEMENT
General Alliance of Workers Association (GAWA) secretary general Wennie Sancho, said that “As we observed the 77nth anniversary of the International Human Rights Day today, we are confronted by spectacle of corrupt politicians and government officials, brazenly siphoning off billions of funds meant for critical infrastructure projects which constitute flagrant violation of the people’s rights, trampled upon by the so-called servants of the people who had been sworn to defend the welfare and interests of the citizens.
The situation was exacerbated by the inability of the government to hold the “big fishes” accountable which has emboldened the corrupt perpetuating a culture of graft and corruption with impunity, he said.
“What rights, what dignity and what honor shall we extol in the midst of this abuse of power and unchecked corruption?” Sancho lamented.
Plunder and stealing of the people’s money by our corrupt leaders is a glaring example of human rights violations. It deprived citizens of their basic needs like healthcare, education and infrastructure perpetuating poverty, inequality and injustice, he said.
The duplicity is staggering. On human rights day, most corrupt politicians would mouth empty words about dignity and justice, while their hands are stained with the sweat and tears of the marginalized sector. The audacity to feign concern for human rights while plundering the nation’s wealth is a slap in the face of every Filipino, Sancho said.
The irony is palpable even as the flood control projects scandal continues to unfold with painfully slow investigation. The government’s rhetoric on human rights rings hollow in the face of shameless corruption. The human rights of the people were violated, families were displaced by flooding, victims of bureaucratic neglect and citizens are demanding accountability but it seems nowhere in sight, he said.
The slow pace of investigation fuels public skepticism, reinforcing perception that those in power prioritize protecting their own, over serving the people. Allegations have emerged that the creation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), was merely a clever ploy as the public demands reforms. The limited authority granted to the ICI to prosecute had rendered it ineffective in addressing corruption. Some observers argued that maybe the ICI was designed to fail, lacking the teeth to prosecute which hindered its ability to make a meaningful impact, Sancho said.
As the nation marks this important day, it’s a sobering reminder that human rights are not just an abstract concept, but a call to action to demand accountability, transparency and justice. The people must continue to raise their voices, demanding that their rights must be respected and those who violate them be held to account, he added.*
