The Philippines: Bill Protecting Human Rights Defenders Hurdles House Panel

For the third time in nearly two decades, a bill seeking to protect human rights defenders and punish acts of intimidation or violence against them was approved at the committee level at the House of Representatives.

The House human rights committee on Tuesday approved the still-unnumbered bill that would legislate protective measures for Filipino human rights defenders, whose work of promoting peace has been obstructed by the same state-sponsored violence that made them de-facto watchdogs of democracy. 

Find the original publication here in English (Philstar).