THE Department of Justice’s efforts to promote a “human rights-centric justice system” in the country got a major boost yesterday with the inauguration of its own Human Rights Office (HRO) and Gender and Development Special Protection Office (GDSPO).
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the creation of the office could not have come at a better time as it coincides with the start of the celebration of the National Human Rights Consciousness Week in the country.
He added its creation fulfilled one of the provisions of Republic Act 9201 mandating all government agencies to raise public awareness of their basic human rights from December 4 to 10 every year.
“With the DOJ’s launch of its very own HRO and GDSPO, I can confidently say that this mandate will be fulfilled by the DOJ not only for a week but the whole year round. It serves a clear call for human rights promotion and protection for the years to come,” Remulla said in his speech.
“This is monumental as it is novel, for, in the DOJ’s 126 years of existence, there are now dedicated offices meant to carry out this vision of a more humane and human rights-centric justice system that shall deliver real justice in real-time,” he added.
Remulla also pointed to the policies and programs that he instituted in the department since he assumed the top DOJ post last year such as setting new guidelines for the recommendation of reduced bail amounts in criminal information for indigent detainees, the conduct of mandatory autopsy of victims who died under suspicious circumstances or suffered violent deaths, the automatic dismissal of cases in the first level courts where there are reasonable certainty of conviction, and greater coordination between the police and state prosecutors in the conduct of case build-ups.
“These policies and programs aim to instill in all our personnel a mindset to respect, promote and protect all human rights,” he said, adding the creation of the HRO and the GDSPO offices are “meant to establish and institutionalize a human rights culture across all our offices’ policies and processes.”
Remulla said it also shows to the international community that the Philippines is a country that promotes and respects human rights.
Data compiled by Dahas, a University of the Philippines-backed research project, said in June this year that more than 300 drug-related killings have been recorded since Marcos Jr. assumed power in 2022.
That includes 175 in the first six months of the Marcos administration.
Last month, police acknowledged that 46 drug suspects have been killed since last year.
‘Stiff fines on EDSA bus lane policy an effective deterrent’
BY Ashzel Hachero
THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority yesterday said the number of motorists violating the exclusive bus lane policy along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue has been “decreasing significantly” since its implementation last month.
MMDA Assistant General Manager for Operations David Angelo Vargas attributed this to their consistent implementation of the new EDSA bus lane policy.
“At around 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. last week, we had usually apprehended more or less 60 violators. But today, we have observed that there was a minimal number of unauthorized vehicles entering the exclusive bus lane,” Vargas told reporters yesterday morning while monitoring the operation of their traffic enforcers.
He said that higher penalties implemented since last month have been an effective deterrent.
Under MMDA Regulation 23-002, motorists who violate the Edsa bus lane policy will be meted a P5,000 fine for the first offense, P10,000 for the second offense plus one month suspension of the driver’s license and a road safety seminar, while a fine of P20,000, and a one-year suspension of driver’s license will be imposed on those violating the policy for the third time.
For the fourth offense, the agency said a P30,000 fine will be imposed and a recommendation will be made to the Land Transportation Office to revoke the driver’s license of the erring motorist.
“Motorists are gradually obeying traffic rules and regulations in Metro Manila, particularly the EDSA busway policy,” Vargas added.
As of 11 a.m. yesterday, the agency has recorded 29 apprehensions, 26 of them motorcycles.
Vargas also said the agency will further intensify anti-illegal parking operations, particularly along Mabuhay Lanes.
There are 17 Mabuhay lanes coming from EDSA, North Luzon Expressway, Quezon City and Manila.
He also encouraged the public to serve as a “citizens watch patrol” to report areas where there are a large number of illegally parked vehicles.
“You can report to us your locations where there are many illegally parked vehicles and we will verify it and coordinate with the local government units before we operate in the area,” Vargas said.
Motorists issued traffic citation tickets for illegal parking will pay a fine of P1,000 while the owners of the unattended illegally parked vehicles will have to shell out P2,000.
Vargas also reminded motorists to avoid the Christmas rush traffic by doing early Christmas shopping, saying there is an expected 20 percent increase in vehicular volume during the holiday season.
