The 2020 fiscal year has been a
challenging period.
It will not be an exaggeration to say that
it is impossible to reflect on this period
without focusing on the tragic
circumstances that have beset the
Philippines and the world since
December 2019 – namely, the eruption
of Taal Volcano, the devastating
typhoons Rolly and Ulysses that hit
several provinces including the National
Capital Region, and the ongoing global
COVID-19
pandemic,
with
its
widespread community lockdowns. The
resulting loss of lives, disruption to
livelihood, and destruction to property
continue to heavily impact the Philippine
economy and society as a whole, but
more especially on the most vulnerable
sectors in our communities. It has been
during these most trying times that we
have seen the worst and the best of
mankind.
This is the backdrop against which we
see the display of commitment of the
Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to
stand firm on its mandate to protect and
promote human rights. Despite the
limitations presented by the quarantine
restrictions combined with budget
reduction, the CHR did not waiver in
working for the achievement of its 2020
commitments in its Promotion and
Policy Advisory outputs.
In Protection, the Commission resolved
1,693 cases. Of these, 429 were resolved
for filing of cases in the proper judicial
and executive agencies; 1,047 were
either closed, terminated, or dismissed;
and 16 were resolved through
alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
Despite the prohibition of physical jail
visitations as part of the pandemic
measures, the Prevention work
continued through the e-Dalaw, the
online jail visitation program. Through
this platform, 849 places of detention
were checked and 1,982 persons
deprived of liberty (PDL) were provided
with legal assistance.
To ensure that the public is kept
informed of their human rights during
these critical times, the conduct of
webinars, posting of information
materials on various social media
platforms, and -- notwithstanding
logistical challenges posed by the
quarantine restrictions -- the conduct of
human rights celebratory events via live
streaming or a blend of physical and live
streaming. The CHR Promotion
accomplishments proudly consist of 240
training sessions conducted face-to-face