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THE
Philippines is expected to accede to the Optional
Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Cruel and
Unusual Punishment which nongovernment organizations
have been clamoring for, Executive Secretary Eduardo
Ermita said over the weekend.
Ermita
said in a press statement that the move was recommended
by the Presidential Human Rights Committee (PHRC), which
he chairs.
Ermita
led the Philippine delegation at the Universal Periodic
Review session on the Philippines at the United Nations
Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in
Geneva
last week, where he and other Philippine delegates
apprised the body on government efforts to address
human-rights concerns.
During
the Philippine review last Friday, Undersecretary
Cecilia Quisumbing, PHRC executive director, reported to
the council that “after several meetings over the
months, the PHRC had come to a consensus to send a
recommendation to the President for the
Philippines
to become State Party to this key treaty.”
“This
Optional Protocol is meant to strengthen the
implementation of the Convention Against Torture to
which RP has been a State Party for 22 years, since
1986—so, it is also in our national interest to be a
party to this instrument,” Quisumbing told the UNHCR.
Signatories to the Optional Protocol to the Convention
Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman Degrading
Treatment or Punishment reaffirm that torture and other
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment are
prohibited and constitute serious violations of human
rights.
The
Protocol also seeks to “establish a system of regular
visits undertaken by independent international and
national bodies to places where people are deprived of
their liberty, in order to prevent torture and other
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” It
requires signatories to establish independent National
Prevention Mechanisms that will not only investigate
reported incidents but will also implement anti-torture
measures.
Philippine accession to the UN protocol was brought up
by the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom and
Slovenia during the UPR session on April 11.
Ermita
reported to the UPR session that the PHRC has prepared
the memorandum to the President recommending the move,
but Quisumbing “had to rush to the hospital just before
our trip” and was unable to submit the document to the
Chief Executive.
After
the UPR session, Renato Mabunga, secretary-general of
Pahra, and Carlo Cleofe of Task Force Detainees directly
told Ermita that they welcome the development as they
have been lobbying for it for some time, along with
Balay Rehabilitation Centre, the Geneva Forum for
Philippine Concerns and the Association for the
Prevention of Torture NGOs, among others.
The
Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and
Cruel and Unusual Punishment was adopted on December 18,
2002, at the 57th session of the UN General Assembly.
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