CHR launches campaign to push for anti-torture watchdog

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

QUEZON CITY — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Friday, July 18, launched the Bantay Bilangguan advocacy campaign, urging the national government to institutionalize a National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) to uphold the dignity and rights of Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs).

The campaign seeks to rally various sectors in support of pending legislation that would establish the NPM—an independent body mandated to identify patterns of abuse and detect systemic risks of torture within detention facilities.

Once enacted, the NPM would conduct unannounced inspections of jails and prisons, provide recommendations to government agencies and legislators, train key personnel, and engage relevant stakeholders in upholding the rights of detainees.

Its establishment would also mark the Philippines’ compliance with the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture, which the country ratified in April 2012.

Five bills seeking to create the NPM are pending in the 19th Congress: House Bill Nos. 6305, 8780, and 8933, and Senate Bill Nos. 2486 and 2522.

As of 2023, however, these measures have remained stagnant in the House Committee on Human Rights and the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, according to official congressional records.

During the launch, Erwin Caliba of CHR’s Linkages Office noted that while no measure has been passed, the House committee has held two hearings that received positive feedback from concerned agencies.

He added that the NPM bill remains a top item on the CHR’s legislative agenda and will continue to be a priority for the 20th Congress.

The campaign also aims to strengthen CHR’s role in preventing torture and protecting human rights in all places of deprivation of liberty, contributing to the broader goal of a torture-free and rights-respecting Philippines.

Julie Ann Regalado of the CHR’s Prevention Office said the campaign focuses on three main goals: raising public awareness about the plight of PDLs and the NPM’s importance, uniting stakeholders to combat torture and inhumane conditions, and mobilizing public support for the bill’s passage.

She described the campaign’s strategy as “creative, inclusive, and collaborative,” involving traditional and social media outreach, capacity-building activities, and stakeholder engagement.

“We aim to use innovative storytelling and visuals to raise awareness about NPM,” Regalado said.

“We will ensure broad participation by engaging diverse sectors—including government, civil society, media, and the PDLs themselves.”

The campaign is backed by recent data showing slow trial processes and worsening prison overcrowding in the Philippines.

According to France-based Prison Insider, 62.5 percent of the country’s inmates remained untried as of 2024.

In its Global Prison Trends 2024 report, U.K.-based Penal Reform International ranked the Philippines fourth among the top five most overcrowded places of deprivation of liberty.

Bureau of Corrections data also show the PDL population increased from 48,264 in 2020 to 54,820 in January 2025.