HUMAN RIGHTS VICTIMS’ CLAIMS BOARD
Virata Hall, Institute of Small Scale Industries (ISSI) Building,
University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City
email: hrvictimsclaimsboard@gmail.com
Press Statement
4 April 2014

Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board Conducts Consultations, Sets Period for Applications

The Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board, tasked with the implementation of RA 10368 providing for reparations and recognition to victims of human rights violations during the Marcos regime, has started conducting consultations on the draft Implementing Rules and Regulations on 2 April 2014.

The Board passed a Resolution setting the period for filing applications by the victims, to commence on 12 May 2014 and to terminate on 10 November 2014. The announcement will be published in two national newspapers for three consecutive weeks, in accordance with the law.

The consultations are being done by the Board in line with its policy of transparency and inclusive participation. Its aim is in order to achieve a common understanding on the provisions of the law; gather inputs, comments and suggestions on the draft IRR; undertake field testing of intake forms for claimants and conduct initial survey about possible areas of cooperation.

The participatory process allows the victims and survivors themselves to contribute to the IRR in order to arrive at a speedy and expeditious procedure that is cognizant of their fundamental rights as well as their context and situations. It also ensures that safeguards and mechanisms are instituted to prevent fraudulent, fictitious and spurious claims. Other stakeholders like human rights organizations and government agencies are also able to identify concrete ways of providing information, documents and assistance relevant to the objectives of RA 10368.

At the consultations on 2 and 3 April conducted in Quezon City, 7 victims’ organizations, 8 non-government organizations, 7 government agencies, 2 religious groups and 4 lawyers groups and 8 representatives from the security sector participated. The Board has divided itself into teams that will go to the different regions from today until 21 April.

On 4 April, the Board is consulting with multi-stakeholders in San Fernando, Pampanga.

Other schedules of consultations are:

April 7: Cotabato City and Davao City

April 8: Calbayog City and Iloilo City

April 10: San Fernando, La Union

April 21: Legaspi City.

LINA CASTILLO SARMIENTO
Chairperson, Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board

All submissions are republished and redistributed in the same way that it was originally published online and sent to us. We may edit submission in a way that does not alter or change the original material.

Human Rights Online Philippines does not hold copyright over these materials. Author/s and original source/s of information are retained including the URL contained within the tagline and byline of the articles, news information, photos etc.