The Philippine National Police (PNP) Human Rights Affairs Office (HRAO) successfully concluded a human rights desk officers and trainers’ course for a total of 38 police officers from three administrative regions of the country comprising Western, Central and Eastern Visayas Regions. The activity was held from May 23-25, 2012 in Tagbilaran City, Bohol Province. Senior officers who previously completed the Hanns-Seidel-Foundation supported human rights (HR) instructors’ development course were able to instruct the next level of human rights desk officers and trainers based at the provincial offices. Aside from their role as trainers, they will promote HR-based policing in various fora involving a wide range of audiences. “Simply put, human rights-based policing is demonstrated professionalism and competence on the part of the police officer,” says HSF lead trainer and human rights-based policing expert Gerardo Dia. “By adhering to established police procedures, the potential for violating the suspects’ rights and opening the arresting officers to possible complaints is greatly minimized,” added Dia.

The Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) provided technical and financial support for the conduct of this training for key regional and provincial human rights officers and trainers. Since the Visayas Region consist of a wide range of islands giving home to numerous police offices with high strategic meaning, it was important to gather police officers from all parts of the Visayas in Bohol and instruct them in HR-based policing. Further training activities are scheduled for officers coming from the Southern Luzon, Bicol, and Mindanao areas.

The training not only provided interactive discussion between the trainers and the participants but also had a strong emphasis on implementing the newly gained theoretical knowledge in practical situations such as role plays and historical as well as fictitious case studies. Discussions dealt with specific problems of HR violations and tried to figure out ways of minimizing the potential for commission of human rights violations stressing that the current police operational procedures are not inconsistent with the ability to incorporate respect for human rights in the daily police service. In describing the methodology, HSF program officer Noel Ruiz said that “the participants have to face impromptu real-life situations and since real-life conditions do not provide second chances we have to prepare the police officers to instinctively carry out their operations successfully while keeping in mind the principles of HR-based policing.”

The post-training evaluation indicated that the participants felt the need to incorporate HR-based policing principles as a required mindset in their regular planning and operational activities, as well as establish linkages with civil society, non-governmental and faith-based organizations, local media, public and private agencies to help disseminate awareness of human rights-related issues and generate support for local human rights-based policing activities. The participants used the evening of the second training day to work out action plans for the next three months in which they outlined activities that not only promote HR but also create public awareness to the newly enhanced understanding of HR-based policing in the PNP. In addition to these outreach activities the police officers will be assigned to conduct follow-on training activities for other human rights desk officers to maximize the regional impact of these training seminars by spreading the insights between as many civilians and police officers as possible.