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Former Senator Leila de Lima speaks at the House of Representatives on October 22, 2024, during the Quad-Committee hearing on extrajudicial killings tied to former president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

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<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175298870703420241022-de-lima-leila-quadcomm-MT-1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Leila de Lima speaks at the House of Representatives on October 22, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File</div>MANILA — Mamamayang Liberal (ML) party-list Rep. Leila de Lima on Sunday renewed her call for the urgent passage of measures to protect human rights defenders and to end red-tagging.In a statement, De Lima noted that the Philippines recorded the highest number of alleged abductions of human rights defenders in Asia from 2023-2024.She added that the country ranked first among 23 Asian countries with 15 documented cases of abduction, according to a report by the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development.&quot;Nakakabahala ang mga datos na ito na nagpapakita ng patuloy na panggigipit sa mga human rights defenders (The data showing the continued harassment of human rights defenders is alarming)—those who defend the helpless and voiceless and speak truth to power, without fear or favor,&quot; De Lima said.&quot;They are just protecting our people, yet they continue to be under serious threat and their work has become extremely dangerous,&quot; she said.The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development report, De Lima added, also stated that the Philippines accounted for 18 cases of vilification over the two-year review period, which were &quot;largely driven by the entrenched practice of red-tagging.&quot;The 18 cases were &quot;perpetrated by state actors or are suspected to have been,&quot; the report said.&quot;Despite widespread condemnation from both domestic and international human rights organizations, this practice has regrettably continued unabated,&quot; it added.Among De Lima&#x27;s priority bills is House Bill No. 1431 or the &quot;Human Rights Defenders (HRD) Protection Act,&quot; which seeks to protect the rights of human rights defenders &quot;to allow them to fulfill their duty without the fear of being harassed and killed.&quot;HB 1431 will &quot;enable a dynamic community of free and protected human rights workers, working with a government that ensures accountability for violations of their rights and freedoms,&quot; she said.De Lima also filed HB No. 1841 or the &quot;Anti-Red Tagging Act,&quot; which seeks to define and criminalize red-tagging that undermines the work and role of human rights defenders and political dissenters.The <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/8/sc-recognizes-danger-of-red-tagging-says-may-justify-writ-of-amparo-1127">Supreme Court last year declared</a> that red-tagging, or linking an individual to the communist movement, constitutes &quot;threats to a person’s right to life, liberty, or security.&quot;De Lima added: &quot;Clearly, the state of human rights in the Philippines was made worse by the irresponsible pronouncements of the previous administration encouraging killings and the culture of impunity,&quot; she said.<div> </div><div>QUAD COMM LEADERS WANT REVIVAL OF HOUSE PROBE</div>Meanwhile, leaders of the powerful House Quad Comm — composed of the Committees on Dangerous Drugs, on Public Order and Safety, on Human Rights, and on Public Accounts — during the 19th Congress on Sunday called on lawmakers to reconstitute the mega-panel when the 20th Congress convenes later this month.They warned that unresolved investigations into drug-related killings, Chinese-linked syndicates, and government corruption &quot;must not be left to die quietly in the archives.&quot;In the previous Congress, the Quad Comm conducted several joint hearings into Philippine offshore gaming hubs, extrajudicial killings, and alleged corruption inside government.&quot;But its work was cut short by politics, threats to witnesses and what members now describe as an orchestrated effort to bury the truth,&quot; they noted.

Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima on Sunday renewed her call for the urgent passage of her proposed measures to protect human rights defenders and end red-tagging.

Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima on Sunday renewed her call for the urgent passage of her proposed measures to protect human rights defenders and end red-tagging.

De Lima bats for passage of human rights bills in 20th Congress

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De Lima bats for passage of human rights bills in 20th Congress

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Published July 20, 2025 02:38 PM PHT

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