BHRAC - Commission on Human Rights

neighborhoods and communities as possible. Much hinges on its success,
and much progress can be achieved through the work that it does.
The <strong>Commission</strong> further lauds this effort to codify and more widely
disseminate the legal bases of the work of the <strong>BHRAC</strong> and its officers.
Human rights after all are not merely pretty words or benefits which
are dependent on the government’s mercy or charity. Instead, human
rights are found in law, both national and international. And with
respect to international law in particular, the Philippine government has
international legal obligations which it has a duty to fulfill.
So when we call on the government to respect, protect, promote and
fulfill the human rights of all the people under its jurisdiction, we are
not asking for a favor, we are not asking for the government to carry out
something that is optional. Instead, we are reminding it of its obligations
and its duties. These are legal obligations. The government must comply
with these.
It is therefore important that all human rights advocates are familiar with
these legal duties, and that the various documents and instruments in
which these can be found are accessible. The work we do to promote
human rights in the Philippines is complex and difficult, and there are
many vested interests arrayed against us, but as we continue to build
alliances, as we continue to reach out to the people we seek to protect,
and as we continue to call on the government to fulfill its international
legal obligations, we will all help move the Philippine situation toward a
better place, and help develop a society which we can bequeath to our
children and their children without shame.
Thank you very much.
LEILA M. DE LIMA (Sgd.)
Chairperson
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