The recently concluded signing of the Data Sharing Agreement between the Department of Justice’s Administrative Order No. 35 Secretariat (AO35) and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), shows the Philippines’ and the Duterte administration’s support and endeavor towards promoting our domestic mechanisms in order to act upon in resolving cases and issues which involve our inherent human rights.

The Data Sharing Agreement was undertaken to achieve a high level of operational capacity between the CHR and the AO35, especially on the recent deaths and cases of Mr. Randall Echanis and Ms. Zara Alvarez.

It entails the sharing of human rights violation investigation reports, promotion of inter-agency cooperation on evidence gathering and prosecution, and implementation of security measures and privacy policies in respect to the interests of the victims and complainants, among others.

The PCOO supports such a measure, as this will ensure proper, faster, and appropriate investigation and responses on matters relating to the security and protection of media and communications personnel throughout the country, alongside our proactive assistance and cooperation with the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS).

We continue to commit ourselves towards our openness and receptiveness in engaging all parties to address allegations of human rights violations within the framework of our domestic accountability mechanisms.

Our commitment towards the protection and promotion of the rule of law, accountability, and human rights will continue to be resolute as part of our fulfillment of our obligations to the international community and to the Filipino people.

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