Preface I t is with much happiness that I extend my congratulations to our partners, the United Nations Development Programme and the Philippine Human Rights Information Center, for the successful launch of this study (“From Four Nodes of History: The Human Rights Challenge in the Philippine Security Sector”). This comprehensive material, detailing the local and world historical landscape that shaped the relationship between human rights and the Philippine military establishment, is truly an enlightening educational material for all those interested in gaining a better understanding on and a proper perspective in evaluating the human rights challenge in the military. This project stemmed from the realization that history may be a valuable repository of information to determine how best to understand and address the military’s modern-day human rights challenge. History may shed light on why, despite the constitutionallyenshrined mandate to protect the people, personnel of the armed forces remain besieged with accusations of human rights violations that run contrary to their sworn duty. We hope that with this humble contribution, the Philippine military will be inspired to continue efforts to overcome its human rights challenge by taking a hard look at its history and reconciling with this painful past for a future where human rights is a soldier’s way of life. The Commission on Human Rights maintains its staunch belief in the Philippine military’s capacity to fully incorporate human rights in its organization, both at the policy and operational levels. LORETTA ANN P. ROSALES Chairperson Commission on Human Rights v