Human Rights
Lesson 10
What are Human Rights?
Inthe Philippines, it is defined as the civil
and political rights of a person.
It
is introduce in the 1987
Phil.Constitution
Human rights embrace moral standards of
any member of a community
Human rights allow a person to live with
dignity and in peace, away from the
abuses that can be inflicted by abusive
institutions or individuals. But the fact
remains that there are rampant human
In the Philippines, the rights of Filipinos are
expressed in Article III of the 1987 Philippine
Constitution.
This is called the bill of rights which includes 22
sections that present the Filipinos citizen’s rights
and privileges.
The constitution is expected to protect the Filipinos
in relations to these rights
December 4 to 10 of each year is marked as
National Human Rights Consciousness Week via
Republic Act No. 9201.
December 10 is also considered as the United
Nations Human Rights Day. It commemorates the
day the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal
No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without
due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal
protection of the laws.
The privacy of communication and correspondence shall be
inviolable except upon lawful order of the court, or when
public safety or order requires otherwise, as prescribed by
law.
No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free exercise and
enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without
discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed. No
religious test shall be required for the exercise of civil or
political rights.
Private property shall not be taken for public use without just
compensation.
No person shall be held to answer for a criminal offense
without due process of law.
No person shall be imprisoned for debt or non-payment of a
Who oversees the fulfilment and
protection of human rights in the
Philippines?
Human rights are both rights and obligations, according to
the UN. The state – or the government – is obliged to
“respect, protect, and fulfill” these rights.
Respect creates commitment from state that no law
should be made to interfere or curtail the fulfillment of the
stated human rights. Protecting means that human rights
violations should be prevented and if they exist,
immediate action should be made.
In the Philippines, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR)
primarily handles the investigations of human rights
violations. However, it has no power to resolve issues as
Do criminals or those who break
the law still enjoy human
rights?
Criminals or those in conflict with the law are still
protected by rights as indicated in many legal documents
such as the Philippines’ Criminal Code and UN’s
Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.
In 2002, the CHR issued an advisory after the debate
sparked by Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's
statement during a crime summit in Manila. He said
extra-judicial or summary killings remain "the most
effective way to crush kidnapping and illicit drugs.“
However, according to the CHR, summary or extra-
judicial executions of criminals or suspects are
prohibited under the Philippine Constitution as these
violate several sections such as Article III Section 1,
which states that “no person shall be deprived of
life, liberty or property without due process of law
nor shall any person be denied the equal protection
of the laws."
Article II of Section 11, which provides that “the
State values the dignity of every human person and
guarantees full respect for human rights.“
Meanwhile, Section 19 of the Bill of Rights clearly
states that any punishment against a prisoner or
detainee shall be dealt with by law and through due
process. It also says that no “cruel, degrading or
inhuman punishment” may be inflicted – even
death.
Conclusion
Nearly75,000 people filed for recognition as
victims of human rights violations during the
administration of President Ferdinand Marcos
in 2014. Martial Law is regarded as the “dark
years from 1972-1986 due to a huge record
of abduction and torture, among others,
under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.
