CHR: Marginalized Sectors Still Most At Risk to Rights Abuses in W. Visayas

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Human rights violations in Western Visayas continue to disproportionately impact marginalized sectors due to their limited resources and lack of awareness, according to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).

CHR Region 6 Director Atty. Jonnie Dabuco said urban poor communities, persons deprived of liberty, persons with disabilities, and the elderly remain especially vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.

“They have fewer resources, less power, so their chances of becoming victims of human rights violations are higher compared to those who are empowered and know their rights,” he said.

Dabuco emphasized the need to expand education and outreach, especially in remote and underserved areas, to close the information gap and empower vulnerable groups to assert their rights.

“We need to do more for these people,” he added.

“Less is their knowledge of their rights, and less are their resources — both factors contribute to why violations happen in this sector.”

Lorena Navallasca, executive director of PROCESS Foundation-Panay, said that while discussions on civil and political rights have advanced, economic, social, and cultural rights remain neglected.

“I think the discussion on civil and political rights is leveling up, but the discussion on economic, social, and cultural rights is still lagging in terms of respect, promotion, fulfillment, and protection,” she said.

Dabuco also reported a decline in reported human rights violations in 2025 compared to 2020 and 2021, particularly in civil and political rights cases such as extrajudicial killings and red-tagging.

He attributed the drop in killings and disappearances to a shift in the national government’s anti-drug campaign, which now emphasizes arrests over lethal force.

“The guidance of the national government has changed,” Dabuco said.

“It’s not the same as before, and now we hear more about arrests rather than deaths in drug operations.”

He acknowledged, however, that other factors — including underreporting or delays in reporting — may have affected the data.

He also noted that increased public awareness and activism could contribute to both a reduction in violations and an increase in reporting.

Despite the decline, Dabuco said human rights violations continue to occur, including discrimination and violations of the rights of Indigenous Peoples, particularly regarding entrepreneurial rights.