Our organisations are convinced that the bill will constitue a crucial and fundamental step for human rights protection in the Philippines after decades of civil society’s efforts to have domestic legislation on the criminalization of torture.
FIDH and PAHRA consider that in signing the Anti-Torture Act the Phillipines may influence other States in Asia to take similar positive steps. The adoption of this bill will be a significantly positive step towards the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations Human Rights bodies which have called upon the Philippines’ authorities to elaborate specific domestic law criminalizing torture as stated in the country’s Constitution.