AFP personnel urged to also act as human rights defenders
ASIDE FROM being the mandated defenders of the people and the state, all Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel must be able to act as human rights officers.
AFP Human Rights Office chief, Col. Joel Alejandro Nacnac, made the call following the virtual participation of 300 military personnel in the 2020 Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Summit on Dec. 11. The AFP shall continue to adhere to human rights, IHL, and the rule of law. As participants of this summit, we are expected to guard these rights in our communities and areas of responsibility, Nacnac said in a statement Sunday.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
In a statement Sunday, Gen. Gilbert Gapay, AFP chief of staff, assured the public that the military “will stand up for human rights and continue to stand by its principles, even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic” in the performance of their mandate as protector of the people and the State.
“Security is a shared responsibility. With every Filipino’s cooperation, we can all be human rights advocates and peace builders. Let us all ensure that the tenets of Universal Declaration of Human Rights are upheld and respected,” Gapay said.
The same commitment was stressed by Col. Joel Alejandro Nacnac, chief of the AFP Human Rights Office, during the online 2020 Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Summit last Friday.