WHO WE AREThe Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is an independent National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) created under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, established on 05 May 1987 by virtue of Executive Order No. 163.

The Commission is mandated to conduct investigations on human rights violations against marginalized and vulnerable sectors of the society, involving civil and political rights.

CHR is an “A” accredited NHRI, fully complying with the Paris Principles adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1995. As an NHRI, the Commission upholds six fundamental characteristics—independence, pluralism, broad mandate, transparency, accessibility, and operational efficiency.

The Commission commits to deliver prompt, responsive, accessible, and excellent public service for the protection and promotion of human rights in accordance with universal human rights principles and standards.

HISTORYThe CHR was created as a response to the atrocities committed during Martial Law. When the 1987 Philippine Constitution was drafted, Article XIII on Social Justice and Human Rights clearly defined the creation of the Commission.

“There is hereby created an independent office called The Commission on Human Rights…

(to) investigate, on its own or on complaint by any party, all forms of human rights violations involving civil and political rights…”

(Sec. 17-18, Art. XIII, Philippine Constitution)

“I, Corazon C. Aquino, President of the Philippines… do hereby (declare) the Commission on Human Rights as provided under Article XIII of the 1987

Constitution to be now in existence…”(Executive Order No. 163)

The 1987 Philippine Constitution primarily gave CHR the mandate to protect and promote the rights and dignity of every human being in the country.

The State values the dignity of every human personand guarantees full respect for human rights.

(Sec. 11, Art. II, Philippine Constitution)

The Congress shall give highest priority to the enactment of measuresthat protect and enhance the right of all the people to human dignity, reduce social, economic and political inequalities, and remove cultural inequalities by

equitably diffusing wealth and political power for the common good.(Sec. 1, Art. XIII, Philippine Constitution)

VISIONA just and humane Philippine society of persons equal in opportunity, living a life of dignity, and forever vigilant against abuses and oppression.

MISSIONAs conscience of government and the people, we seek truth in human rights issues. As beacon of truth, we make people aware of their rights, and guide government and society towards actions that respect the rights of all, particularly those who cannot defend themselves—the disadvantaged, marginalized, and vulnerable.

GOAL STATEMENTTo be the prime mover in strengthening respect, understanding, and practice of human rights as the essential corner stone of peace, unity, and nation-building

MANTRA

CHR: Dignity of all

IN THE SERVICE OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLEThe CHR serves all persons in the Philippines, as well as Filipino nationals abroad. It provides services to both rights-holders, or the vulnerable sectors who are the Commission’s primary clients, as well as to the duty-bearers, or the police, military, and the other personas in authority.

Particularly, the CHR prioritizes the following rights-holders:· Women· Children · Youth· Persons Deprived of Liberty· Indigenous Peoples· Workers (Local and Migrant Workers)· Internally Displaced Persons· Persons Living in Poverty· Persons with Disabilities· Senior Citizens· Persons with Diverse Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender

Expression (SOGIE)· Other marginalized groups

The Commission also works to build and strengthen the capacities of duty-bearers including, but not limited to, frontline service providers; decision and policy makers, and actors in the security sector and justice system.

It works in partnership with all national government agencies, independent constitutional commissions, local government units, government-owned and controlled corporations, educational institutions, and civil society groups.

The CHR engages with the local and international communities for the protection and promotion of human rights.

Panata sa Karapatang Pantao

Ako’y Mamamayang Pilipino Tungkulin ko ang kilalanin, igalang at itaguyod

Ang dignidad at karapatan ng bawat tao Maging dayuhan man o kalahi ko.

Itataguyod ko ang diwa ng pagkakapantay-pantay ng lahat Nang walang kinikilingang kasarian, lipi, paniniwala at katungkulan sa buhay

Sa larangang Pang ekonomiya, Pampulitika, Pangkultura, Panrelihiyon at Panlipunan

At malaya sa lahat ng uri ng diskriminasyon at karahasan – kabilang na ang sa tahanan.

Diringgin ko ang tinig ng kabataan Nang may respeto at pagkilala sa kanilang ideolohiya at kakayahan At huhubugin sila na maging matatag na salinlahi sa kinabukasan.

Titiyakin ko na ang bawat bata ay hindi salat sa pagkalinga, may matiwasay na lipunang ginagalawan

At ang mga pangangailangan ay natutugunan ng pamahalaan.

Igagalang ko ang nakatatanda at aalalayan kung kinakailangan Bibigyang puwang sa lipunan ang mga may kapansanan.

Tutulungan ko ang mga biktimang nawalan ng tahanan at kabuhayan Dulot ng kalamidad, demolisyon, militarisasyon, at armadong labanan.

Pagyayamanin ko ang kultura ng katutubong Pilipino. Bubuhayin ko ang pag-asa ng bagong buhay sa mga bilanggo.

Tututulan ko ang pagmamalabis sa kapangyarihan, katiwalian at pagyurak sa karapatan

Ng mga manggagawa sa pribadong tanggapan, sa pamahalaan At maging ng mga Pilipino na sa ibayong dagat ay namamasukan.

Paninindigan ko, na sa aking kapwa, ako’y may pananagutan. Babantayan na ang Estado ay nagagampanan ang obligasyon sa lipunan.

Sa ngalan ng KARAPATANG PANTAO, tayo’y makibahagi at magtulungan Sa pagsulong sa katuparan ng lahat ng karapatan.

THE FIFTH COMMISSION2015 – 2022

HON. JOSE LUIS MARTIN C. GASCONCHAIRPERSON

Hon. Jose Luis Martin C. Gascon, or ‘Chito’ as he prefers to be called, is the current Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) of the Republic of the Philippines. He is a political activist and a social reformer, with work focusing on human rights, democracy, and governance for over three decades.

Prior to his appointment, Chairperson Gascon served as a member of the Human Rights Victims Claims Board, the body responsible to administer recognition and reparation programs to the Martial Law Regime’s victims. He held a rank equivalent to Justice of the Court of Appeals.

During the term of President Corazon C. Aquino, he served as the youngest member to both the Constitutional Commission that drafted the 1987 Constitution and the 8th Philippine Congress—passing a landmark legislation that institutionalized youth participation in local government (Sanggunian Kabataan), as well as a special law providing for special protection to children from all forms of abuse (Republic Act 7610).

Since Martial Law, Chairperson Gascon has continued his unwavering advocacies in the field of human rights; access to justice and the rule of law; transparency and accountability initiatives; political and electoral reforms; peace and conflict transformation; people’s participation and civic education; and state building in the context of democratic transitions.

Chairperson Gascon graduated from the University of the Philippines with an undergraduate degree in Philosophy, then later earned a Bachelor of Laws from the same university. He has a Master of Law degree in International Law (Human Rights, Law of Peace, and Settlement of International Disputes) from Cambridge University. He was also a recipient of various international fellowships, seminars, and trainings.

HON. KAREN LUCIA S. GOMEZ-DUMPITCOMMISSIONER

For more than 25 years, Hon. Karen Lucia S. Gomez-Dumpit has served the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) through various career posts.

Commissioner Gomez-Gumpit made several breakthroughs by being the first director of the CHR’s Child Rights Center, which she served for nine years. As Child Rights Center director, she engaged with stakeholders on discussions on Juvenile Justice—paving the way for the consolidation of Philippine Action for Youth Offenders GO-NGO coalition. Through Commissioner Gomez-Dumpit’s efforts, in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Council for the Welfare of Children, a number of children were spared from the death row through the establishment of minority age. This partnership proceeded and worked towards the passage of Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act.

Commissioner Gomez-Dumpit has also advocated for the rights of Persons Deprived of Liberty, which earned her a Gawad Paglingkod Award from the Catholic Bishops Conference. In her capacity as the focal director for migrant workers, she also worked with civil society organizations to partially lift the deployment ban of overseas Filipino workers to Nigeria.

Commissioner Gomez-Dumpit has been pivotal in the Commission's engagement with the UN Human Rights Council and Treaty Bodies, which include reporting for the Universal Periodic Review; Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights; Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; Convention on the Rights of the Child; and the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Commissioner Gomez-Dumpit graduated from De La Salle University with a degree in AB Communication Arts. She later earned her Master in Public Management at the Development Academy of the Philippines. She also obtained a Master of Science in Human Rights degree, as a British Chevening Scholar, at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

HON. GWENDOLYN LL. PIMENTEL-GANACOMMISSIONER

Commissioner Gwendolyn Ll. Pimentel-Gana has been active in helping formulate and lobby laws promoting the welfare of abandoned, neglected, and abused children by streamlining the adoption process, and providing for alternative child care means.

Commissioner Pimentel-Gana supported laws forwarding the protection of children from exploitation and discrimination; promoting the welfare of the kasambahays; protecting migrant workers from trafficking and exploitation; providing for reparation and recognition of human rights victims during the Marcos regime; and promoting the rehabilitation of prisoners among others.

She has also devoted her time in dealing with women and their families in crisis, cultural minorities, and refugees. She wrote the book Adopting A Filipino Child, The Intercountry Way as a guide for adoptive parents and social workers. Commissioner Pimentel-Gana also wrote the paper “The Study of the Adoption System and Legislation in the Philippines” detailing the state of adoption in the country.

Her firm belief that human rights must be upheld at all times was forged during the Martial Law era when her father Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., a lawyer and a public servant, was jailed without trial four times for opposing then President Ferdinand Marcos. Similarly, her advocacy for women’s rights was also shaped when her mother Lourdes “Bing” dela Llana Pimentel, a teacher, had to support their six children while Commissioner Pimentel-Gana’s father was in jail.

Commissioner Pimentel-Gana received her bachelor’s degree in International Studies at Maryknoll College. She earned her Bachelor of Laws and Master’s Degree in Public Administration at the University of the Philippines.

HON. LEAH C. TANODRA-ARMAMENTOCOMMISSIONER

Commissioner Leah C. Tanodra-Armamento has been in government service for three decades.

Commissioner Tanodra-Armamento worked five years with the Office of the Solicitor General as an Associate Solicitor, where she assisted the solicitors in habeas corpus cases. She transferred to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and moved her way up from State Prosecutor to Senior State Prosecutor from 1991 to 2003. During her stay at the Justice Department, she created the Task Force on Agrarian Justice and established the guidelines in handling agrarian dispute-related criminal complaints. She also held a post at the Philippine National Police Reform Commission as the Secretariat Chairperson.

In 2003, Commissioner Tanodra-Armamento was appointed as the DOJ Assistant Chief State Prosecutor, where she chaired the legal panel of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) during the 1996 Review of the Final Peace Agreement’s Implementation between GPH and Moro National Liberation Front (MILF). Thereafter, she was appointed as DOJ Undersecretary. She introduced several reforms in DOJ including the crafting of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Law Against Enforced Disappearances, and established the Persons with Disability and Public Assistance Desk in every prosecution office in the country.

Commissioner Tanodra-Armamento has been involved with the Committee  for the Special Protection of Children; Public Sector Labor Management Council; Presidential Commission on Human Rights; Payapang Bayan Task Force on Local Peace Initiatives (pursuant to Executive Order No. 696); National Council on Disability Affairs; DOJ Action Center; and DOJ Women-In-Development Focal Point for Women and Gender Concerns.

Commissioner Tanodra-Armamento graduated Bachelor of Laws from the Ateneo De Manila University School of Law. She was also a fellow of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 2007.

HON. ROBERTO EUGENIO T. CADIZCOMMISSIONER

 

Commissioner Roberto Eugenio T. Cadiz is the focal commissioner for Business and Human Rights; Environment; International Humanitarian Law; Peace; and Sustainable Development Goals at the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) of the Republic of the Philippines.

Since 2007, Commissioner Cadiz has managed projects funded by the USAID International Foundation for Electoral Systems, and the United Nations Development Programme. These projects also involved government agencies, such as the Supreme Court of the Philippines, Department of Education, and the CHR.

He has counselled in judicial-reform and public interest cases. He was also one of the private prosecutors in the impeachment case against former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona. His affiliations related to his advocacies include Pera’t Pulitika, Transparency and Accountability Network, and Supreme Court Appointments Watch.

Prior to his appointment, Commissioner Cadiz was a private law practitioner specializing in litigation while being the Executive Director of Libertas, a non-governmental organization

which envisions an informed and empowered citizenry, adhering to the rule of law, and working within the framework of a functional democracy.

Currently, Commissioner Cadiz oversees the Commission’s Center for Crisis, Conflict, and Humanitarian Rights, as well as the Human Rights Education and Promotion. He is also presently handling the Petition on Climate Change filed before the CHR.

Commissioner Cadiz has a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Law from the University of the Philippines.

THE LOGO

The logo consists of a circle divided into two equal parts signifying equality in consonance with the principle that “All [human beings] shall be equal before the law” and representing the two-fold mandate of the CHR to advance “the promotion and protection of human rights”. The dove bearing an olive branch signifies peace, and a pair of scales symbolizes justice.

The left side of the logo in sky blue connotes “the right to advance one’s well-being and social, mental, and physical development”. The right side in gold expresses the need “to spur public awareness of the value of human dignity and the inalienable right to exercise human rights and liberties”.

members of the commission on human rights republic of the philippines

first commission(1987 - 1992)

mary concepcion bautistachairperson

abelardo l. aportadera, jr.samuel m. sorianohesiquio r. mallillinnarciso c. monteiro

commissioners

(1992 - 1994)

sedfrey a. ordoÑezchairperson

samuel m. sorianohesiquio r. mallillinnarciso c. monteiro

paulyn p. sicamcommissioners

second commission(1994 - 2001)

aurora p. navarrete-reciÑachairperson

jorge r. coquiavicente p. sibulo

mercedes v. contrerasnasser a. marohomsalic

commissioners

third commission(2002 - 2008)

purificacion c. valera quisumbingchairperson

eligio p. mallaridominador n. calamba ii

wilhem d. sorianomalik g. marandangquintin b. cueto iii

commissioners

fourth commission(2008 - 2010)

leila m. de limachairperson

ma. cecilia rachel v. quisumbingma. victoria v. cardona

norberto dela cruzjose manuel s. mamauag

commissioners

(2010 - 2015)

loretta ann ‘etta’ rosales

chairperson

ma. cecilia rachel v. quisumbingma. victoria v. cardona

norberto dela cruzjose manuel s. mamauag

commissioners