The Commission on Human Rights’ To-Do List to Uphold the Rights of Mental Health Care Patients Under Section 18 of the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is mandated to investigate human rights violations against marginalized and vulnerable Filipino communities. People with mental health disabilities belong to these communities. Regardless of their economic status, Filipinos needing mental health care are at a disadvantage compared to patients with other disabilities because of the scarcity of available mental health services in the country. The responsibilities of CHR According to Section 31 of the Mental Health Act, CHR has the following duties and responsibilities in making sure each Filipino living with mental health disabilities is protected: • Create methods to address and investigate complaints about impropriety and abuse during the course of a service user’s mental health treatment. • Inspect mental health facilities to make sure that the users of these resources are not treated cruelly and inhumanely. 46