As the country marks today the international celebration of the human rights, Akbayan partylist Rep. Riza Hontiveros-Baraquel yesterday said the country is in the middle of human rights crisis and the culture of impunity is fast spreading as extra judicial killings and enforced disappearances remain unresolved.

But the active leadership being shown by the Supreme Court, which recently approves the use of writ of amparo and habeas data, is a sign of hope for advocates of human rights and good governance, Baraquel said.

Both the writ of amparo, a court order that compels state agents to look for a missing person and holds the officials liable if not enough effort was exerted in finding that person and habeas data, or access to information are new instruments that provide legal muscles to protect the constitutional rights of the people, she said.

Advocates of human rights and good governance should maximize the benefits of these constitutional muscles to arrest the deterioration of democratic institution and process, she added.

Akbayan, is also pursuing the Human Rights Compensation Bill which seeks to compensate victims of human rights violations, especially those during the Marcos administration, Baraquel said

She refused to concede that there is people power fatigue in the country and stressed the need to continuously challenge those in the government to deliver professional bureaucracy and right service to the people.

Another primary target of institutional reform, Baraquel said, is the lower house of congress which has to recover its independence from the executive.

The alliances between the speaker of the house, the deputy speaker and majority of the member of the House compromise the independence of the legislative body, Baraquel said.

However, she remains optimistic that among the new members of the House are congressmen who are open to issues and progressive ideas that can help those in the minority redeem the image of the House, she added.

Also pending in congress is House Bill No. 1257 which calls for a seven-year extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, Baraquel said.

Although she can not guarantee its passage in congress, she said it is the first CARP bill that calls for and extension with reform of the program's implementing guidelines.*NAB

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