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Saturday, September 09, 2006
Interior bats for human rights education in PNP training
INTERIOR and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno is backing the proposed integration of a human rights advocacy course in the training program for PNP personnel in line with his department's thrust of fostering a new culture that values and respects human rights in the bureaucracy.
Puno said the recommendation is among the outputs of the first of a series of meetings conducted by an eight-man group he had formed to craft a strategy paper on human rights concerns.
This group is composed of representatives from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), PNP, Commission on Human Rights (CHR), and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
"Among the proposals during these meetings was for the PNP to include a human rights advocacy course in the training program for its personnel," Puno said. "We fully welcome this recommendation even as the DILG remains committed to ensuring that the human rights of our policemen are also protected," he added.
During the meetings of the Working Group on Human Rights Concerns, which was presided over by DILG Assistant Secretary Serafin Benaldo, the participants also agreed that the PNP should provide the CHR with data on the status of killings of journalists and members of leftist groups; information on warrantless arrests; and recommendations on how to deal with the displacement of persons in areas covered by counterinsurgency operations.
Benaldo, who is vice chairman of the working group, said he will also invite representatives from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Deparrment of National Defense (DND) to help draw up the strategy paper on human rights.
The National Barangay Operations Office (NBOO) of the DILG, on the other hand, was tasked to provide updates on the reactivation of Barangay Human Rights Action Centers (BHRACs) across the country and a report on barangay-level efforts to address the trafficking of women and children.
Representatives from the BJMP, for their part, said it will conduct a study on and assessment of the cases reported involving the torture of inmates in jail.
In response to a Malacañang directive issued by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Puno last month created this working group, which is chaired by DILG Undersecretary for Peace and Order Melchor Rosales.
Besides Rosales and Benaldo, the DILG representatives in the group are the directors of the NBOO and the Bureau of Local Government Development (BLGD), and a senior representative from the DILG Legal Service,
Puno has called on local government units (LGUs) to revitalize their respective Barangay Human Rights Action Centers (BHRACs) in step with intensified government efforts to empower ordinary Filipinos at the grassroots to uphold and defend their constitutional rights.
He issued the directive after finding out from CHR records that out of 7,270 BHRACs established since 2001, only 2,342 or about a third are still functional.
Expressing concern over this development, Puno, through Undersecretary for Local Government Wencelito Andanar, issued Memorandum Circular 2006-45 to all local officials and DILG regional directors alike, reminding them to give top priority to the BHRAC program of the CHR and review their respective human rights action plans for inclusion in their annual budget proposals.
In his memorandum, the DILG chief also encouraged Sangguniang Barangays nationwide to either establish or revitalize their respective BHRACs, which serve as centers for processing complaints and disseminating information on human rights concerns.
Puno also reminded local government executives of the vital role they play in ensuring the success of BHRAC programs aimed at heightening public awareness of human rights issues at the grassroots level. (Press release)
(September 9, 2006 issue)
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