1.

What are the most important areas of progress in human

rights in the Philippines in the past decade?
 
Poe:
In the sphere of human rights, the Philippines has a good track record
in ratifying human rights instruments. The Philippines is state party to
nine of the ten core human rights instruments. From 2006 to 2016, we
ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
(2008) and the Optional Protocol for the Convention against Torture
(2012). In 2012, we have enacted the RA 10353 or the Anti-enforced
Disappearance Law, which aims to prevent enforced disappearances
and provides mechanisms for reparation and redress. However, we
have yet to ratify the Convention on the Protection of All Persons from
Enforced Disappearance.
 
Correspondingly, a number of domestic laws were enacted to comply
with the State‘s obligation to adopt international norms and standards
in promoting, protecting, and fulfilling human rights in the country.
There are laws on civil and political rights such as: the RA 9372 or the
Human Security Act (2007); the RA 9745 or the Anti-Torture Act
(2006); and RA 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against
International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes Against
Humanity (2009). There are also laws for the protection of vulnerable
groups such as RA 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act
(2006) and its amending law RA 10630 or the Act Strengthening the
Juvenile Justice System in the Philippines; RA 9710 or the Magna
Carta of Women (2009); and RA 10070 and RA 10754, both amending
RA 7277 or the Magna Carta for Persons with Disability.
 
Also, RA 10368 or the Human Rights Victims Reparation and
Recognition Act (2013) was passed. This law provided for the
documentation of grave human rights violations perpetrated during
martial law. It also provides for mechanisms to indemnify and give
due recognition to its victims, as well as memorialization of the lessons
learned during the martial law period.
 
Institutional mechanisms were put in place to address human rights
concerns in the country. The Presidential Human Rights Committee
(PHRC) was expanded to elevate the human rights agenda in the
Government of the day through monitoring and reporting of the
fulfillment (or lack of) of human rights obligations. The Aquino
Administration also issued Administrative Order (AO) 35 creating a
body to address the glaring culture of impunity in the country by
taking actions on cases of extrajudicial killings, enforced
disappearances, and torture.
 
Also, under the current administration, the passage of RA 10364, the
law which expanded RA 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act,
strengthened the country‘s campaign against trafficking. As of
December 2015, 223 convictions have been handed down.
 
Roxas:
For the past years, we saw that by fighting corruption, strengthening
institutions, and upholding the rule of law above all else, we also
protect and promote the rights of every human being.
 
Laws were passed such as the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons
Act, the Reproductive Health Act, the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary
Disappearance Act in 2012—the first of its kind in Asia—which
prevents enforced disappearances and provides means for reparation
and redress, as well as the Human Rights Victims Reparation and
Recognition Act in 2013, which provides reparation for thousands of
Martial Law victims under the Marcos regime. A high-level
interagency committee was also created in 2012 which introduced
innovations in case resolution such as improved cooperation between
prosecutors and law enforcers.
 
As result, the Philippines was ranked number one in Asia, number
three in the Asia-Pacific region, and number 29 out of 167 countries, in
terms of government efforts and programs to combat TIP, according
to the 2014 Global Slavery Index of the Walk Free Foundation in
Australia.
 
Santiago:
The Philippines has made broad strides in human rights policy in the
past decade. In 2009, three important laws were passed: Republic Act
No. 9710 also known as the Magna Carta of Women, which seeks
protect the rights of Filipino women and eliminate discrimination;
R.A. No. 9745, also known as the Anti-Torture Act, which penalizes
torture and other inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment;
and R.A. No. 9851, or the Philippine Act on Crimes against
International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes against
Humanity. I authored these bills at the Senate.
 
In 2011, the Philippines became party to the 1954 Convention on the
Status of Stateless Persons, and pledged to take steps toward accession
to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. That same
year, we became party to the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court.
 
R.A. No. 10354, or the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive
Health Act, which I co-sponsored in the Senate, was enacted in 2012.
It aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality. R.A. No. 10368, or the
Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act and R.A. No.
10361, or the Kasambahay Law, were also approved that same year. I
supported both measures as senator. We also became the first country
in Asia to pass an Anti-Enforced Disappearances Law (R.A. No. 10353)
that year. I was one of the authors of the bill in the Senate.
 
In 2014, authorities arrested former general Jovito Palparan, who is
accused in the abduction of two student leaders Karen Empeño and
Sherlyn Cadapan. It was a breakthrough for human rights victims who
have long accused the military of perpetrating violence against
activists.
 
2. What are the biggest human rights challenges facing the
country?
 
Poe:
The current context of our country is characterized by a climate of
impunity, where perpetrators are not punished and victims are denied
justice, including social injustice, and where the poor and
marginalized are further pushed to the margins of society, resulting in
failure to achieve an adequate standard of living.
1. Plunder and corruption are major human rights issues in the
country; deprive the people of much needed resources for basic
services; and deny everyone from having a life of dignity.

Transparency International, through its Corruption Perception

Index (2014), ranks the Philippines at 85 out of 175 countries.
Corruption, including malversation of funds, robs the
government of the opportunity to optimize its gains and to
properly appropriate resources that would benefit the greater
population, pushes us to deeper poverty, and denies the people
of a life of dignity. Poverty affects us in ways that hinder us to
hone and fully develop our potential.
 
2. Discrimination on any ground, i.e., based on age, sex, religion,
economic or political affiliation and other status, continues to be
prevalent and is the systemic cause of inaccessibility of services.

Discrimination must be eliminated since it breeds violence and

puts at risk the physical integrity and security of those
discriminated against, like LGBTs, women, and children. Hate
crimes and violence against women and their children are
instances of gender-based violence that are rooted in
discrimination.
 
3. Extrajudicial killings (EJK), enforced disappearances (ED), and
torture continue and remain unresolved. Death squads are
tolerated in some areas of the country.

Despite the efforts of the military and the police in ensuring the
physical integrity and security of people, instances of grave
human rights violations as mentioned above continue. Militants,
IPs, and journalists are the usual targets.
 # of Jan-Oct 2014 2013 2012 2011
victims) 2015

EJK 6 5 11 3 5
   
5 (frustrated) 2 (frustrated)
ED - - 10 4 -
Torture 14 21 59 21 27

(Source: Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, accessed

at www.tfdp.net on 16 March 2016)
4. Poverty is a human rights issue since it is a deprivation of the
right to an adequate standard of living and a life of dignity. Those
who are more vulnerable are pushed further into poverty by
reason of their circumstances. The vulnerable include women,
persons with disabilities, elderly, indigenous peoples, and
internally displaced persons.

Today, there remain an estimated 1.5 million informal settler

families in need of housing (NISUS Final Report, 2014).
2,469,000 Filipinos are unemployed and 7,849,000
underemployed (PSA, January 2016). 1.2 million children aged 5
to 15 are not enrolled in schools (2015 SONA Technical Report).
According to a 2015 SWS survey, 11.7% or 2.6 million Filipino
families are hungry.
 
5. The people continue to be denied access to justice and effective
remedies in cases where their rights have been violated.
Roxas:
Despite our efforts, we recognize that there are still cases that demand
fair and timely resolution. These include extrajudicial killings, abuses
inflicted against indigenous peoples such as the Lumads in Mindanao,
the 2010 Maguindanao massacre, and the 2015 Mamasapano incident.
 
While we have made progress in disbanding private armies, we need
to intensify present efforts as initiated by the President Aquino
through Memorandum Circular No. 83, which created the National
Task Force for the Disbandment of the Private Armed Groups in the
Areas of the Proposed Bangsamoro Region and the Adjacent Regions
IX and XII.
 
To get the results that we all want, we need to ensure that the wheels
of justice are moving and that law is strictly enforced to protect the
right of every Filipino, regardless of age, sex, class, disability,
ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity, at every stage and in
every condition.
 
Santiago:
Policies aimed at promoting human rights are meaningless unless fully
and wholeheartedly implemented. Despite its adoption of the Anti-
Torture Act, for instance, the Philippines has yet to convict
perpetrators of torture. The government is also facing hurdles in the
implementation of the Reproductive Health Law amid a Supreme
Court hold order on contraceptive implants and budget cuts by
Congress.
 
The culture of impunity threatens to perpetuate human rights abuses.
Cases that need to be immediately resolved include the continuous
disappearance of activists working in the countryside, allegedly
because of military operations; the deaths of some 50 media workers
in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao in 2009; and the recent deadly
skirmish between elite cops and Moro rebels in Mamasapano.
 
Another challenge is the protection of the rights of vulnerable
members of society. Child labor allegedly remains rampant, with
underage workers reported even in the most dangerous of sectors such
as small-scale mining. Children are also reportedly being recruited by
rebel, terrorist, and paramilitary groups. In the aftermath of disasters,
stories of abuse against children and women abound.
 
The Philippines must address with urgency the militarization of
indigenous communities. At the Senate, I have filed several resolutions
seeking inquiries in aid of legislation on reports that thousands of
indigenous peoples in Mindanao are being forced out of their homes
allegedly by the Armed Forces, or groups that they sanction. Violence
in these communities have also shut down schools.
 
3. How should the government deal with the problem of
impunity, by which members of the security forces
implicated in serious abuses go unpunished?
 
Poe:
Our steps include the following:

 Strengthen civilian oversight of the two institutions, starting with

the improvement of their internal affairs offices.
 Strengthen internal institutional accountability units like
the PNP Internal Affairs Service and AFP Office of Ethical
Standards and Public Accountability.
 Reform and enable the National Police Commission (which
exercises supervision over the Philippine National Police) and
the Department of National Defense to mete sanctions to erring
corps members according to law and their honor codes.
 Strengthen the Internal Affairs Service (IAS) of the Philippine
National Police hierarchy by:
 Granting IAS the authority to impose disciplinary
sanctions, subject only to review, in limited cases, by the
National Police Commission
 Streamlining the procedures to be followed and imposing
timelines on the IAS in administrative disciplinary cases
 Strictly enforce the vetting process or clearance from the
Commission on Human Rights (CHR) of members of the security
sector who aspire for professional promotion by making sure
that aspirants have no record of human rights violation.
 Study the institutionalization of reparation mechanisms of grave
human rights violations similar to the Human Rights Victims’
Claims Board created under R.A. 10368.

Roxas:
According to our laws, the abuse of one’s authority merits heavier
penalties. In such cases, we will ensure that swift, timely, and
thorough investigations will be conducted and that offenders will be
penalized to the fullest extent of the law. We will implement the Anti-
Torture Law without prejudice.
 
We will also strengthen the judicial system to ensure the fair and
equitable application of the law, while at the same time protecting the
judiciary’s independence. As such, men and women of probity,
competence, impartiality, and integrity will be appointed to the ten
Supreme Court Justice positions that will be vacated under the next
administration.
 
Santiago:
A strong Freedom of Information Law will help lift the veil of secrecy
in the military, which is implicated in several cases of human rights
violations—torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial
killings. We must ensure that the national security provision, which
limits Freedom of Information, will not prevent the court or human
rights agencies from ordering investigations on the military with
regard to alleged abuses. As president, I will certify as urgent the
passage of the FOI Law. Pending congressional approval, I shall issue
an executive order that will implement the principle of freedom of
information in the bureaucracy.
 
4. What actions should be taken to protect the rights of
indigenous peoples, the so-called Lumads around the
country, particularly in Mindanao?
 
Poe:
The Lumad issue is connected to the issue of development aggression,
where businesses and their operations are offered security by the
government through the creation of Special CAFGUs (Citizen Armed
Force Geographical Unit) which protect mining concerns and
enterprises in the name of anti- insurgency against groups like NPA.
As a result, Lumads have been victims of displacement from their
ancestral domains and other human rights crimes because of the
conflict between military and paramilitary groups. From 2001 to
September 2015, there are 35 cases of extrajudicial killings involving
59 IP members in Mindanao, as cited by the Commission on Human
Rights.
 
Our goal is to attain the full realization of the rights of the Lumads,
particularly their right to development and participate in the
development process. Our steps include the following:

 Seek demilitarization of armed groups including the New

People‘s Army in Lumad communities. The scope of
demilitarization must include indigenous meeting places, sacred
grounds, and other community-owned institutions, schools,
barangay halls, and health centers with the help of AFP/DND,
OPAPP, NCIP and DILG.
 Review EO. 264 providing for the ―Citizen Armed Force‖ and
dismantle Private Armed Groups (PAGs) as well as go after its
patrons.
 Work with the provincial and city LGUs and DSWD in the
provision of social services in response to the needs of Lumads in
their evacuation centers, including the improvement of camp
management systems; food assistance with priority towards
vulnerable sectors such as pregnant women, infants, persons
with disabilities; alternative livelihood assistance in evacuation
centers; provision of health, water, sanitation, hygiene services,
and complete temporary shelter supplies; and public awareness
regarding their current struggles.
 Facilitate resumption of learning of Lumad students in
evacuation centers and provide for short-term arrangements to
make temporary conducive and culturally-sensitive learning
environments.
 Deliver justice to all IP victims of political-economic conflicts
through a stronger National Commission on Indigenous People
(NCIP) and Department of Justice (DOJ). We will pursue an
immediate investigation and prosecution of all involved groups
responsible for the deaths and sufferings of indigenous peoples
due to political-economic conflict.
 In the long-term, we will institutionalize an interagency body
that will address the situation of IPs in unstable situations and
their socioeconomic needs. The Body will review conflicting
policies and programs and seek consensus over a coherent
 response. Representatives will come from DSWD, DILG, DOH,
DepEd, NCIP, PNP, AFP, NEDA, DTI, concerned LGUs, NGOs,
and aid agencies.
 Guarantee the full participation and due recognition of the rights
of indigenous people in the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). If the
autonomy and self-governance of the Bangsamoro is
acknowledged, so too should the IP’s right to self-determination
be recognized.
 Re-align the national development agenda with the right to
development of indigenous peoples by ensuring the latter‘s
participation in development decision-making processes.

Roxas:
The law should be enforced to establish order and prevent all kinds of
violence committed against anyone. As such, we will continue to
strengthen our systematic crime fighting campaign called Oplan
Lambat-Sibat—a deliberate, programmatic, and sustained effort to
maintain peace and order, composed of both wide dragnet and intel-
targeted operations.
 
To ensure that all Filipinos are free from fear, we need to implement
all existing laws that protect human rights; strengthen institutions and
organizations that provide care and assistance to the victims of the
offended party; modernize our law enforcement agencies and improve
our prosecution services; continue reforms and innovations in the
justice sector (e.g. Justice Sector Coordinating Council, Justice Zone,
and Hustisyeah); and enhance our correctional and rehabilitation
facilities.
 
Santiago:
My government will review state sponsorship of militias and
paramilitary groups, especially amid allegations that they are the ones
behind recent violence in indigenous communities. I have filed several
resolutions seeking Senate investigations on the reports of
displacement of the Lumads and the military closure of schools in
indigenous communities in Mindanao. More recently, I also
condemned in the strongest terms the alleged arson of the Lumad
evacuation center in Davao City.
 
5. What is your view of the Reproductive Health Law? The
recent decision of Congress to delete specific budgetary
allocations for the delivery of family-planning services to
poor families has prevented the law from being
implemented.
 
Poe:
In 2013, I stated that “the RH law is a good progress in our struggle
to address the high prevalence of maternal deaths in the country. I
believe, however, that the RH law can still be strengthened by
introducing new provisions that would allow Filipino couples to
receive financial assistance in their efforts to conceive a child. The
concept of ‘reproductive health’ should also include couples who are
having difficulties conceiving a child naturally.”
 
Our steps include the following:

 Support the full implementation of RH Law especially for the

benefit of poor families, women, and the youth. The
Congressional budget cut effectively bars poor women access to
contraceptives, thereby upending a major provision of the law.
 Ensure compliance by local governments of the Reproductive
Health Law, by making available and accessible reproductive
health services, including family planning and contraception,
and birthing facilities.
 Increase utilization of RH-related packages under PhilHealth
such as the maternal care package, etc.

Roxas:
The Reproductive Health Law is one of the landmark reforms of this
administration. We will ensure the full implementation of this law so
that it serves the purpose for which it was enacted, including the
appropriate budgetary support that it requires.
 
Santiago:
When I am president, I shall work to fully and conscientiously
implement the Reproductive Health Law, which I co-sponsored in the
Senate. It is irreconcilable that Congress, which enacted the RH Law
after much hardship in 2012, would three years later render that same
law inutile. The P1-billion budget cut threatens to deprive some seven
million women of reproductive health services. This abandonment is
immoral in a country where some 200 out of 100,000 women who
give birth die.
 
6. How do you think the government should deal with
killings of journalists, many of them in apparent
retaliation for reporting on corruption and poor
governance?
 
Poe:
According to Committee to Protect Journalist (CPJ), 77 journalists
were killed since 1992 in line with their work. This seriously impinged
on their right to freely express their opinion, not to mention violations
of the paramount right to life.
 
Our steps include the following:

 Review AO 35, series of 2012, and strengthen investigation and

prosecution of grave human rights violations and address
impunity.
 Support the investigation, prosecution and adjudication of cases,
especially those involving grave human rights violations and
corruption to increase access to justice towards fair and prompt
resolution, including the creation of a separate, quasi-judicial
reparation mechanism.

Roxas:
See answer to Question No. 4
 
Santiago:
With a Freedom of Information Law, journalists will be better armed
with the truth, their biggest defense against threats. Besides enacting
the FOI, however, the government must address impunity with regard
to extrajudicial killings. Individuals whose illicit transactions are
unveiled by the press are emboldened to kill by the knowledge that
they can get away with it. Certainty of arrest, prosecution and
punishment will act as deterrent to extrajudicial killings.
 
7. How will you address the summary killings by so-called
death squads, some having links to local authorities, in
urban centers across the Philippines?
 
Poe:
In 2007, the Special Rapporteur for extrajudicial, summary or
arbitrary executions, Philip Alston, visited the country prompted by
the apparent state sponsored killings or unlawful executions of leftist
activists, journalists, suspected criminals. In his 29 April 2009 report,
―[p]erhaps the most troubling development over the past two years
has been the rise in death squad killings in Davao City. Reliable
information indicates that, in 2008, such killings were almost a daily
occurrence in Davao City, jumping from a reported 116 in 2007 to 269
in 2008. The killings have clear patterns – similarly described
perpetrators, victims and methods – and are rarely the subject of
successful police investigations.
 
Our steps include the following:

 Strengthen participatory mechanisms to enhance the capacities

of the public to demand accountability of erring public servants.
 Review AO 35, series of 2012, and strengthen investigation and
prosecution of grave human rights violations and address
impunity.
 Strengthen our program on crime prevention, including
strengthening the five pillars of justice—the community, law
enforcement, prosecution, the courts, and the corrections.
  Modernize, capacitate and equip the PNP to increase police
presence, installation of CCTVs, and repair of streetlights, among
others.
 Conduct education drives focusing on the most vulnerable of the
society, as well as delivery of basic services.
 Study the institutionalization of reparation mechanisms of grave
human rights violations similar to the Human Rights Victims’
Claims Board created under R.A. 10368.

Roxas:
See answer to Question No. 7
 
Santiago:
We need a swift review of all programs and projects of government—
including those in the Department of Justice and the Commission of
Human Rights. This review will cover the Inter-Agency Committee on
Extra-Legal Killings, Enforced Disappearances, Torture, and Other
Grave Violations of the Right to Life, as created by Administrative
Order No. 35. We shall seek to increase the involvement of the
Commission on Human Rights in the committee.
 
8. Years after the passage in 2009 of the anti-torture law,
not one perpetrator of torture has been convicted even as
reports of torture by state security forces continue to
surface. What actions should be taken to ensure that this
law is enforced?
 
Poe:
On 29 March 2016, Police Officer 2 Jerick Dee Jimenez was convicted
for torturing Jerryme Corre. This is the first conviction for violation of
RA 9745 or the anti-torture law.
 
Our steps include the following:

 Strengthen the intervening role of the Commission on Human

Rights in cases of torture, from taking inventory of apprehended
individuals to conducting investigation.
  Strengthen implementation of RA 9745, including conduct of
impartial investigation. Oftentimes investigations involve the
participation of uniformed men and women who may belong to
the same institution forming the subject of the investigation.

Roxas:
See answer to Question No. 3
 
Santiago:
Under my administration, a national quick response hotline will be
introduced for enforced disappearances and torture. We must also
implement a strong witness and whistleblower protection program to
facilitate the prosecution of cases, especially against state agents. I will
also seek to insulate the justice system from influence or threat from
other government agencies, particularly the Armed Forces and the
police.
 
9. How will you address the plight of tens of thousands of
Filipinos who remain displaced as a result of armed
conflict between government and rebel forces, specifically
in Zamboanga City and the provinces of Maguindanao,
Davao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur?
 
Poe:
As of May 2015, 28,200 people are still displaced due to the
Zamboanga siege in 2013. About 3,100 of all displaced persons are
staying in the evacuation center inside the Grandstand sports
complex, while about 13,800 have moved to 10 transitional sites. In
addition, over 11,300 internally displaced people (IDPs) are hosted by
relatives or friends, or are renting temporary homes with rental
assistance. There are about 1,200 IDPs in Tandag, Surigao del Sur.
 
Our steps include the following:

 Initial and long-term responses to a conflict must be planned

hand-in-hand. Other than on-site response during a conflict,
preventive measures must be prioritized.
  Push for the passage of HB 4744 or the ―Rights of Internally
Displaced Persons Act.‖
 Prioritize the temporary shelters/transitional camps for IDPs of
armed conflicts in Zamboanga, Maguindanao and other conflict
regions and ensure that these areas of resettlement shall be
decent and humane.
 Direct LGUs to provide an avenue for IDPs who remain in
transitional camps to achieve durable solutions, which will result
in the provision of a permanent and culturally acceptable
settlement and where basic services, employment or livelihood
opportunities, education, and health care are available and
accessible.
 Attend to the special needs of women, children, elderly, and
people with disabilities.
 Protect women against violence in centers.
 Prioritize the needs of children-victims of calamities.
 Build a Special Needs Shelter (SNS) designed to be elderly-
friendly in terms of physical accessibility and services delivery.
 Develop a modified rescue transport vehicle to safely
evacuate people with disabilities who use wheelchairs or other
assisted devices.
 Push for the peace process, which will ultimately alleviate the
situation in Mindanao to address war and violence that displace
people in the country, to include structural responses to systemic
violence and transitional justice mechanisms.

Roxas:
We will continue the rehabilitation of these communities and deliver
basic services, particularly quality, affordable, and safe housing, so
displaced families and individuals can truly live their lives free from
hunger, free from fear, and free to dream.
 
We recognize that many conflict-affected areas need massive
investments in infrastructure to spur development that can lead to
their people’s prosperity. Government services such as education and
healthcare should reach the people, especially in the less-developed
areas.
 
But in the long term, our goal is to achieve true and lasting peace,
especially in Mindanao through the establishment of a progressive and
inclusive Bangsamoro region.
 
Santiago:
Congress must pass swiftly the Rights of Internally Displaced Persons
Act. Local government units must also be empowered to provide not
only emergency shelters and assistance but also temporary sources of
livelihood. Ultimately, however, we must resolve the armed rebellion
throughout the country. This will be done through dialogue between
government and rebel groups.
 
10. What steps should the government take to address the
growing HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Philippines, which
some experts say is the worst in the region, if not the
world?
 
Poe:
As of November 2015, there were a total of 29,706 HIV cases in the
Philippines. Recognition of HIV/AIDS prevalence in the areas with the
highest rates of cases (NCR, Cebu and Davao etc.) should be done by
local government units and in turn be acted upon through preventive
strategies.
 
Our steps include the following:

 Allocate funds, through the Department of Health, for the study

and medical treatment of HIV/AIDS, especially in public
hospitals. City Health Centers and Rural Health Units will
conduct free HIV testing to the public with the assurance of
privacy, to be funded by the DOH and LGUs.
 Local and public hospitals and health centers should have access
to ART (antiretroviral treatment) and other medications related
to HIV/AIDS.
  Improve monitoring mechanisms to ensure accurate data on
HIV/AIDS cases, as well as early detection of signs, counseling,
and health benefits to adequately inform and prepare families.
 Provide programs and seminars to parents and children
(specifically minors) for appropriate guidance and monitoring of
their children with regards to HIV/AIDS etc.
 Massive public information dissemination and educational
campaigns to create the needed changes in behaviors and
attitudes, towards eliminating discrimination against people
living with HIV/AIDS and those at risk of HIV, including
eliminating gender-based discrimination that places certain
groups at higher risk of contracting HIV.

Roxas:
We will expand the coverage of PhilHealth to reduce the out-of-pocket
expenses of those undergoing or seeking treatments for complications
caused by HIV/AIDS and other conditions. This will require increased
investment on government services to prevent, detect, and treat such
cases.
 
We will also increase the number of health units in communities all
over the country to provide primary, preventive, and curative health
services. This includes providing all Filipinos with accurate
information to protect their health and guide their lifestyles.
 
Santiago:
I have filed Senate Bill No. 2728, or the Stop AIDS in Prisons Act; S.B.
No. 2827, which will allow minors aged 15 to 17 to consent to testing
under specific circumstances; and S.B. No. 2546, which will involve
the National Youth Commission in the National AIDS Council. I have
also filed several resolutions urging the government to declare a
national emergency on HIV/AIDS. These have unfortunately
languished at the committee level.