• Advocacy and Legislative Agenda Lobbying The first quarter of the year witnessed the passage into laws of the various bills collaborated on, drafted and finalized with the help of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as member of the technical working group (TWG). The proposed measures were the following: (a) R.A. 11767—An Act Promoting The Rights Of And Providing Greater Protections To Deserted Or Abandoned Children With Unknown Parents, Amending For This Purpose Articles 276 And 277 Of The Revised Penal Code And Special Laws, Recognizing Their Status As Natural-Born Citizens Of The Philippines, Providing Penalties Against Acts Inimical To Their Welfare, And For Other Purposes; (b) R.A.11596—An Act Prohibiting The Practice Of Child Marriage And Imposing Penalties For Violations Thereof; (c) R.A. 11650—An Act Instituting A Policy Of Inclusion And Services For Learners With Disabilities In Support Of Inclusive Education, Establishing Inclusive Learning Resource Centers Of Learners With Disabilities In All School Districts, Municipalities And Cities, Providing For Standards, Appropriating Funds Thereto, And For Other Purposes; and (d) R.A. 11648—An Act Promoting For Stronger Protection Against Rape And Sexual Exploitation And Abuse, Increasing The Age For Determining The Commission Of Statutory Rape, Amending For The Purpose Act No. 3815, As Amended, Otherwise Known As "The Revised Penal Code," Republic Act No. 8353, Also Known As "The Anti-Rape Law Of 1997," And Republic Act No. 7610, As Amended, Otherwise Known As The "Special Protection Of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation And Discrimination Act". • CHR-UNICEF Child Participation Project: A Consultation on Participation in UNCRC Reporting, Monitoring and Implementation Child The CRC together with the Philippine Legislators Committee on Population and Development, Inc. (PLCPD) and with funding support from United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) conducted eleven (11) consultations from December 2021 to April 2022. A total of 222 children from the least consulted sub-sectors such as the Children of Person Deprived of Liberty (CPDL), Children with Disabilities (CWD), Children from Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA), Children Deprived of Liberty (CDL), children without access to technology, the Moro children and internally displaced children, indigenous children, and the working children (child labourers). For CHR, the Regional Offices (RO) V (Legazpi and Naga), RO VIII (Tacloban City), RO IX (Zamboanga City) and RO CAR (Pudtol, Apayao), were the co-implementers of the consultations. The Results of the series of consultations will be used as the motivating opinions and arguments for CRC's policy recommendations, reports and advisories. Furthermore, five (5) parallel consultations with parents and guardians were also conducted in Tacloban City, Naga City, Legazpi City and Zamboanga City with total number of eighty-six (86) participants. 3. Advocacy on Climate Justice Climate change has been affecting countries worldwide since the last several years and experts predict that the Philippines will be one of the hardest-hit when its impacts begin to spike in regions across the globe before long. In this regard, the CHR has put more stress on climate change and environmental protection among the issues that will be at the top of its list of most urgent advocacies. The CHR Report on the National Inquiry on Climate Change (NICC) released on May 6, 2022, contained findings and recommendations, including how the government and the country’s private big business sectors should lead the Philippine’s cause to actively address the worsening problem of climate change and the environmental disasters accompanying it. Citing that “the findings and recommendations are informed by science and governance experts,” the CHR urged all parties and stakeholders specifically the political and executive branches, as well as the judicial agencies, to respond resolutely and quickly, to avert disastrous consequences. The report was released at the CHR’s central office in Diliman, Quezon City. Former CHR Commissioner Roberto Eugenio Cadiz as focal commissioner handling the NICC, released the report. Cadiz stressed that climate change is a human rights issue and the government has “the duty to address the issue.” 25