MikeLigalig.com

THE Commission on Human Rights in Bohol now records a significant decrease in human rights cases compared to about a decade ago.

In fact, had not the commission expanded its services to include an legal advice and inter-agency referral system that was not institutionalized in its past functions, the cases this year may have been much lower, admits Bohol CHR Rito Montes.

Montes showed statistics as he bared these developments during the recent Kapihan sa PIA aired live over DyTR.

Set up to commemorate the national Human Rights Week Celebration and adopting the theme Karapatang Pantao: Kilalanin, Tuparin at Pagyamanin, the forum on air with the CHR was aimed to update Boholanos of the human rights situation in Bohol.

In 1999, CHR Bohol noted 57 cases of human rights violations.

This was even lower compared to 2002 when at the height of Bohol’s struggles facing insurgency and holding it by the horns where some 88 cases were recorded.

In 2008 and 2009 however, the CHR said it noted only 24 cases on both years.

It added that their 30 cases form January to November of this year, may be understood because of the newly opened legal assistance and inter-agency referral system that was recently institutionalized and incorporated in the CHR mandate, Montes explained.

In its comparative data provided, CHR bared that that in 2010, while recorded cases of violations went to 30, 7 of these are actually legal advice and assistance cases, a new service by the CHR.

Even then, CHR regional Director Atty. Alejandro Alonso admitted that there are still some areas where the government has not fully addressed.

Alonso was quick to follow it up by citing the need to address the full implementation of the law against extra legal killings and enforced disappearances, which have been reported until the present.

Moreover Atty. Alonzo said human rights education continues to be the agency’s top priority in its efforts to be proactive in its human rights advocacy and violations monitoring mandates.

He also urged everybody’s help in helping to realize their agency mandate to actualize an empowered society. (racPIABohol)

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