Town Hall Meeting on Governance and Human Rights To commemorate International Anti-Corruption Day on December 9 and International Human Rights Day on 10 December, the UP Institute of Human Rights (UP IHR) co-hosted with Stratbase ADR Institute (ADRi) and Transparency International Philippines a virtual town hall discussion entitled “Rule of Law in Times of Crisis: Combatting Corruption and Championing Human Rights in the Face of COVID-19”. In partnership, the forum aimed at examining how corruption and human rights violations affect the rule of law, Philippine democracy, and economic development. In the forum held on 9 December, Opening Remarks were given…

A webinar on the Implication of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Matter of Urgent Petition for the Release of Prisoners on Humanitarian Grounds in the  Midst of the COVID 19 Pandemic On 5 November 2020, the Institute for the Administration of Justice hosted the webinar “Pandemics and the Rights of Persons Deprived of Liberty.” Speaking on the Supreme Court Decision in Almonte v. People (“In the Matter of the Urgent Petition for the Release of Prisoners on Humanitarian Grounds in the Midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic”) were Atty. Rommel Alim Abitria, Dr. Raymund Narag, and Atty. Theodore Te. Atty. Abitria, who is the Executive Director of…

THE EVIL PAST: Memory and Erasure in Constitutional Amendment By Prof. Richard Albert On 29 October 2020, the Institute for the Administration of Justice hosted the webinar “The Evil Past: Memory and Erasure in Constitutional Amendment.” Central to the discussion was how countries emerge from repressive histories with State-sanctioned human rights violations. Lecturing on the matter was Dr. Richard Albert, Director of the Program on Constitutional Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. In his lecture, Dr. Albert discussed the mechanisms used for constitutional change and how the ways these crucial legal texts are written and rewritten either memorialize or forget…

The inaugural issue of the Asia-Pacific Journal of International Humanitarian Law (APJIHL 2020 Edition) was formally launched on 10 November 2020 via Zoom. Drawing on their expertise and experience, Judge Raul C. Pangalangan of the International Criminal Court, Dr. Helen Durham of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Prof. Suzannah Linton of China University of Political Science and Law led the discussion on international humanitarian law (IHL) in the Asia-Pacific, with emphasis on the region's perspective and contribution to the development of this body of rules. Regional Legal Adviser Ms. Sahar Haroon of the International Committee of the Red…

BEHIND BARS AT NEW BILIBID PRISON: A Call for Integrated Reform by Prof. Raymund E. Narag, Ph. D. - An Online Book Launching On 14 October, 2020, the Institute for the Administration of Justice celebrated with Professor Raymond E. Narag for the online book launch of his work, “Behind Bars at New Bilibid Prison: A Call for Integrated Reform.” Prof. Narag introduces the book as a decades-long project, drawing from his own experiences as a person previously deprived of liberty. The result is an extensive roadmap with a critical analysis of the penal institution.   He begins his discussion with…