MALACAÑAN PALACE
MANILA
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES
[ Memorandum Order No. 258, February 7, 1995 ]
ESTABLISHING AN INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING AND RESEARCH FOR HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION
WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 163 dated 5 May 1987 mandates the Commission on Human Rights to establish a continuing program of research, education and information to enhance respect for human rights;
WHEREAS, the same Executive Order mandates the Commission to recommend to the Legislative Department effective measures to promote human rights, a function which gains greater prominence in the light of the on-going Peace Process;
WHEREAS, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recently awarded the UNESCO Prize for the Teaching of Human Rights to the Commission on Human Rights, signalling the need for further enhancing the global orientation of Commission so that it may effectively lead and contribute to the development of a human rights culture beyond the boundaries of the nation;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order the establishment of the Interagency Task Force for Strategic Planning and Research for Human Rights Protection, hereinafter referred to as the Task Force.
Section 1. The Task Force shall be headed by the Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights with members composed of senior officials representing the following: the Office of the President, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Justice, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, and the Supreme Court of the Philippines. There shall also be two private sector representatives to be recommended by the Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights, one from among the roster of retired justices and one from among NGOs involved in human rights advocacy. There shall also be one youth representative to be recommended by the Chairman.
Section 2. The Chairman shall establish the Technical Secretariat in the Commission Human Rights, which shall serve as the Technical Working Group to be headed by the duly designated representative of the Task Force Chairman responsible for the preparation of research and other similar papers for consideration by the Task Force. The Technical Working Group shall consist mainly of organic personnel from the various departments and government agencies involved in the Task Force.
Section 3. The Task Force may create other Working Groups as it deems necessary, to be supervised by the Technical Secretariat. The Chairman may also hire technical consultants attached to the Commission on Human Rights for this purpose through the Technical Secretariat.
Section 4. The Task Force is mandated to:
a. undertake strategic planning and research towards the formulation of a long-term Philippine Human Rights Plan, linking human rights issues with people empowerment and sustainable development thrusts in an increasingly competitive global environment, including the proposals for appropriate measures and proposed legislation for building and enhancing a human rights culture, and human rights education initiatives within the ASEAN and other countries;
b. conduct meetings, consultations and dialogues for the purpose of raising human rights consciousness and obtaining inputs for the Human Rights Plan;
c. submit for approval of the President, the Philippine, Human Rights Plan, within six months from the approval of this Memorandum Order.
Section 5. The Task Force shall cease existence 30 days after approval of the Philippine Human Rights Plan.1aшphi1
Section 6. The amount of one million pesos is hereby allocated from the President’s CY 1995 Contingent Fund for the Task Force and its Technical Secretariat.
Section 7. This Memorandum Order shall take effect immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 7th day of February in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Five.
(Sgd.) FIDEL V. RAMOS
By the President:
(Sgd.) TEOFISTO T. GUINGONA, JR.
Executive Secretary
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