• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod approved a new measure requiring the establishment of human rights desks in every barangay to facilitate the reporting and monitoring of civil and political rights violations.
Known as the “Bacolod City Human Rights Action Center Ordinance,” the legislation was introduced by Councilor Wilson Gamboa, Jr. to decentralize the services of the Commission on Human Rights and bring it directly to the grassroots level.
Under the new ordinance, a central Bacolod City Human Rights Action Center will be stationed at the Department of Social Services and Development to serve as a hub for the city’s 61 barangays.
Each barangay is mandated to operationalize its own Human Rights Action Center that is tasked with receiving and monitoring complaints, assisting victims in securing legal or financial aid, and conducting human rights education seminars for residents.
The ordinance further requires each barangay to allocate a portion of its annual budget to cover the operational costs of those centers, including the salaries or allowances for the designated officers.
A multi-sectoral oversight body, the Bacolod City Human Rights Action Team, has been formed to supervise the implementation of the program, which includes the Mayor, representatives from the police, the City Health Office, and various civil society organizations.
The ordinance specifies that while the centers focus on civil and political rights, complaints that do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Commission on Human Rights will be referred to the police or the Lupon ng Tagapamayapa.*
