CHAPTER 4 HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY AND PROMOTION T his chapter presents the milestones and challenges of the CHR in relation to its core functions namely human rights policy formulation and promotion, specifically on the rights of women and lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders and intersex (LGBTIs). POLICY Year 2016 is an important year for policy advocacy on gender equality and women’s human rights. In June 2016, the UN HRC(HRC) deliberated on the creation of a mandate holder on SOGIE. It opened an opportunity for the CHR to show support for the rights of LGBTI and urged the Philippine Government to manifest the same as a member of the UN Human Rights Council. The Philippines reported to two treaty bodies: the CEDAW Committee in July and ICESCR Committee in October. The submission of the 2017 Philippine Report to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of was also due in September 2016. These processes were also opportunities for the CHR and civil society organizations (CSOs) to submit independent reports to these bodies. The Commission submitted its independent reports to the CEDAW and ICESCR Committees and to the HRC for the UPR. The reports incorporated the results of the CHR National Inquiry on RH and the other consultations made with women’s, LGBTIs, and human rights organizations. CEDAW The concluding statements of the CEDAW Committee showed support to the CHR’s concern on the lack of political will of government to address the issues surfaced and resolutions of the CHR regarding violations of the MCW. This included cases involving high government officials and their derogatory statements and behavior against women,35 the circumvention of the RPRH Law by certain LGUs (specifically on the provision of reproductive health care services and products), and women’s access to justice. The CEDAW Committeee recommended that there should be “mandatory mechanisms that would protect and ensure the full independence of the Commission and make its resolutions legally binding on government agencies, especially those responsible for imposing sanctions for violations of the MCW.”36 On women’s access See for instance the CHR resolution 2016-078 on the then presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte’s rape joke, CHR statement on the showing of the alleged sex video of a female senator in Congress as part of its hearing of drug charges against her. 35