Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission - Basilan

SA TINGIN MO, MAY PAGLABAG SA KARAPATANG PANTAO?

Huwag pong manahimik. Nandito lang kami.

Kung ikaw, ang kapamilya mo, o ang kapitbahay mo ay may naranasang paglabag sa karapatang pantao, maaari ninyo kaming lapitan. Walang bayad ang aming serbisyo. Pakikinggan namin kayo.

📞 0966 271 8759 / 0909 626 1849
📧 [email protected]
📍 2F Ataco Bldg., Tagung St., Kaumpurnah Bldg. II, Zone 1, Isabela City
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Kung hindi ninyo alam kung paglabag nga ba ang nangyari, tanungin ninyo pa rin kami. Ang hindi pagtatanong ang mas mahirap.

Ang karapatan ninyo ay hindi pabor. Ito ay inyo.

𝑶𝑭𝑭𝑰𝑪𝑰𝑨𝑳 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑻𝑬𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝑶𝑵 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑰𝑵𝑪𝑰𝑫𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝑰𝑵 𝑩𝑹𝑮𝒀. 𝑻𝑨𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑳𝑶𝑵𝑮, 𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑨𝑾𝑰 𝑪𝑰𝑻𝒀

The Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission - Lanao del Sur Provincial Office (BHRC-LDSPO) has taken cognizance of the reported incident in Barangay Tampilong, Marawi City, on August 29, 2026, involving an operation by the government security forces which resulted in casualties, including civilians.

The Commission extends its deepest sympathy to the families of those who lost their lives and everyone affected by this tragic incident.

As the region’s human rights institution, the BHRC is doing its utmost to carry out its mandate to promote and protect human rights. We are taking the necessary steps to verify the facts, monitor the situation, and determine whether human rights concerns arising from the incident require appropriate action.

At this stage, we urge the public to remain calm and to refrain from spreading unverified information. Every life matters, and the protection of civilians must remain paramount even in the conduct of legitimate security operations.

The BHRC remains committed to truth, accountability, and the protection of human dignity, and will take appropriate action within the bounds of its mandate as the facts of the incident are established.

Araw ng mga Bayani.

Hindi lahat ng bayani ay may monumento. May mga bayaning tahimik na nagtatanggol ng karapatan sa kanilang barangay. May mga human rights defender, community leader, g**o, health worker, at ordinaryong mamamayang tumatayo para sa kapwa kahit walang kapalit at kahit may panganib.

Kahapon, Agosto 30, ginunita natin ang mga biktima ng sapilitang pagkawala. Ngayon, Agosto 31, ginugunita natin ang mga bayani. Magkaugnay ang dalawa. May mga bayaning may pangalan sa aklat ng kasaysayan. May mga bayaning hanggang ngayon ay hinahanap pa rin ng kanilang pamilya.

Batayan: Proklamasyon Blg. 1006, s. 2025, na nagtakda sa Agosto 31, 2026 bilang regular holiday sa buong bansa.

Sa lahat ng nagtatanggol ng karapatang pantao sa Basilan, ang araw na ito ay para din sa inyo.

BHRC Basilan Provincial Office

Agosto 30. International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

May karapatan ang bawat pamilya na malaman kung nasaan ang kanilang mahal sa buhay. Ang sapilitang pagkawala ay hindi lamang paglabag sa karapatan ng nawawala. Ito ay patuloy na paglabag sa karapatan ng buong pamilyang naghihintay.

Ipinagbabawal at pinarurusahan ang enforced disappearance sa ilalim ng Republic Act No. 10353. Mandato naman ng Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission sa ilalim ng Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 4 na imbestigahan ang mga paglabag sa karapatang pantao at magsilbing mekanismo ng transitional justice sa Bangsamoro.

Sa bawat pamilyang naghihintay: hindi kayo nag-iisa.

May batas kahit sa gitna ng labanan.

Iyan ang buod ng international humanitarian law. Hindi nito pinipigilan ang digmaan. Ang ginagawa nito ay maglagay ng hangganan. Hindi target ang mga sibilyan. Hindi target ang mga ospital at ang mga manggagawang pangkalusugan. Hindi target ang mga paaralan at ang mga bahay-sambahan. Ang sumuko o nasugatan na ay hindi na kalaban.

Hindi ito abstraktong usapin sa Basilan. Alam ng ating mga komunidad kung ano ang kahulugan ng mga panuntunang ito, at alam din nila ang kahulugan kapag nilabag ang mga ito.

Mandato ng Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission sa ilalim ng Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 4 na panatilihin ang pagsunod sa international humanitarian law sa panahon ng armadong sigalot. Pinarurusahan naman ng Republic Act No. 9851 ang mga paglabag dito sa ilalim ng batas ng Pilipinas.

Batayan: Geneva Conventions of 1949; Republic Act No. 9851; Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 4.

Ang batas ay hindi natutulog kapag may putukan.

BHRC Basilan Provincial Office

The Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission, Basilan Provincial Office, led by Provincial Director Atty. Alman-Najar Namla, warmly welcomed a delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in a meeting held at the Provincial Office on August 20, 2026.

The visit carries a fitting significance: it took place in August, observed across the country as International Humanitarian Law Month, the same month the Geneva Conventions of 1949 were adopted. No occasion could be more apt for the region's human rights institution and the guardian of the Geneva Conventions to sit at one table.

The meeting centered on the respective mandates of the two institutions, particularly the mandate of the BHRC under Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 4, which encompasses the promotion of and adherence to international humanitarian law in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, alongside its human rights protection functions.

The BHRC and the ICRC discussed points of collaboration moving forward, focused on strengthening humanitarian protection efforts in the province and on possible coordination in the protection of civilians, subject to the assessment of protection needs as they arise. Both institutions recognized that they share common ground in this work: the protection of persons in situations of violence and armed conflict, each in accordance with its own mandate and working modalities.

The ICRC delegation was composed of:

Mr. Arshid Amin Khan, Head of Sub-Delegation, Zamboanga;
Mr. Gabriel Anthony Daclan, Adviser to the Head of Sub-Delegation, Zamboanga Sub-Delegation;
Mr. Martin Kelemenis, Protection Coordinator, ICRC Philippines Delegation; and
Mr. Glenn Oliva, Protection Field Officer, Zamboanga Sub-Delegation.

The BHRC Basilan Provincial Office expresses its gratitude to the ICRC for the visit and looks forward to a continued exchange in the service of the people of Basilan and the Bangsamoro, in the same spirit that animates the observance of IHL Month: that even armed conflict has limits, and human dignity has none.

Upholding Human Dignity. Advancing Justice. Building a Rights-Respecting Bangsamoro.

The Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission, through Basilan Provincial Director Atty. Alman-Najar L. Namla, took part in a dialogue convened by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos with the Professional Regulation Commission on reported difficulties encountered by Muslim women wearing the hijab in transacting with the PRC.

The concern involved reports that Muslim women applicants were being asked to expose their ears during identification photo capture, and that some were prevented from proceeding with their transactions.

The dialogue drew the participation of the NCMF leadership and its regional offices in ZamBaSulTa. Present were Commissioner Hussin Amin, Commissioner Abunnapis Abdul Majid, and Commissioner Bae Baicon Cayongkat-Nuska, together with Chief of Staff Atty. Hassanal H. Abdurahim. Congressman Ustadz Yusop T. Alano was also in attendance, lending legislative weight to the concern.

The regional offices most directly affected were represented by Director Rhoaisa S. Matolo-Mukaram of NCMF Region IX-A and Director Nehri A. Tan of NCMF Region IX-B, alongside Atty. Ibn Ismael Sappayani, Head of the Legal Division of NCMF Region IX-B, whose office covers the constituencies from which many of the reports originated. Ustadz Alzad Sattar likewise took part, providing the perspective of the religious sector on the obligations at issue.

The NCMF Gender and Development Focal Point System Technical Working Group, which evaluated the referral, found clear implications on gender responsiveness, religious accommodation, and the protection of Muslim women's rights in accessing government services. It recommended direct coordination with the PRC to clarify existing policy, identify the source of the difficulties, and explore a formal harmonized policy.

In the dialogue, PRC Assistant Commissioner Louis P. Valera clarified that a review of PRC records disclosed no policy requiring Muslim women to expose their ears. He characterized the difficulty as a misinterpretation, likely an overhang of an unrelated protocol read as applying to Muslim women applicants, and noted that the uneven practice across regional offices confirmed that no such rule existed. He gave the assurance that considerations arising from religious belief occupy a high place in the Commission's hierarchy of concern. PRC officials advised that the corresponding item in the LERIS online system would be removed and that a memorandum circular would be issued to guide all regional offices.

For BHRC Basilan, the matter goes beyond a procedural clarification. Access to professional licensure determines livelihood. When a requirement with no basis in any issuance stands between a Bangsamoro woman and the practice of her profession, the resulting injury is economic as much as it is religious. That the requirement was never policy does not lessen what the affected applicants experienced.

The Commission recognizes the responsiveness of the NCMF and the PRC, and will continue to monitor the issuance of the memorandum circular and the situation of applicants already affected.

Noong August 17, isinagawa ng Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission (BHRC) Basilan Provincial Office ang International Human Rights Education Seminar hinggil sa International Humanitarian Law at Transitional Justice sa Barangay Tumahubong, Sumisip, Basilan.

Panauhing tagapagsalita si Atty. Vij Kanni, isang abogadong tubong Brazil, na malinaw at masinsinang tumalakay sa paksa. Ipinakita niya kung paano nakaugnay ang mga pandaigdigang pamantayan sa karapatang pantao at ang batas na umiiral sa panahon ng armadong sigalot sa mga tunay na karanasan ng mga komunidad.

Nagsalita rin sa naturang araw si Special Investigator Umma Omar R. Edin ng BHRC.

Mahalaga ang paksang ito para sa Basilan. Ang international humanitarian law ang nagtatakda ng hangganan kahit sa gitna ng labanan. Hindi target ang mga sibilyan. Hindi target ang mga ospital, paaralan at bahay-sambahan. Ang transitional justice naman ang nagbibigay ng landas tungo sa katotohanan, hustisya at reparasyon para sa mga komunidad na matagal nang may bitbit na sugat.

Bahagi ito ng mandato ng BHRC. Sa ilalim ng Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 4 o ang Bangsamoro Human Rights Act of 2019, tungkulin ng Komisyon na itaguyod ang karapatang pantao sa pamamagitan ng edukasyon, panatilihin ang pagsunod sa international humanitarian law sa panahon ng armadong sigalot, at magsilbing mekanismo ng transitional justice sa Bangsamoro.

Taos-pusong pasasalamat ang BHRC Basilan Provincial Office sa Barangay Local Government Unit ng Tumahubong sa pagpapagamit ng covered court at sa buong suportang ibinigay sa aktibidad.

Ang karapatang pantao ay walang hangganan. Nararapat itong maunawaan hanggang sa pinakamalayong barangay.

BHRC Basilan Provincial Office

Sa International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, ginugunita natin ang isa sa pinakamadilim na kabanata ng kasaysayan ng sangkatauhan.

Hindi ito usapin ng nakaraan lamang. Nananatili ang modernong anyo nito: human trafficking, forced labor, debt bo***ge, at pang-aabuso sa mga manggagawang walang proteksiyon. Ipinagbabawal ang involuntary servitude sa ilalim ng Seksyon 18(2), Artikulo III ng Saligang Batas, at pinarurusahan ang human trafficking sa ilalim ng Republic Act No. 9208, sinusugan.

Kung may alam kayong kaso ng human trafficking o sapilitang paggawa sa Basilan, maaari kayong lumapit sa BHRC Basilan Provincial Office.

Agosto 22, International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief.

Sa isang lalawigang tulad ng Basilan kung saan magkakapitbahay ang Muslim, Kristiyano at katutubong pananampalataya, ang kalayaan sa relihiyon ay hindi teorya. Ito ay pang-araw-araw na pagsasama.

Ipinagtatanggol ng Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission ang karapatan ng bawat tao na sumamba, o piliing huwag sumamba, nang walang takot. Kinikilala ito ng Seksyon 5, Artikulo III ng Saligang Batas at ng Seksyon 5, Artikulo IX ng Republic Act No. 11054.

Iba ang paniniwala. Pantay ang karapatan.