MTRCB, CHR promote human rights

MTRCB Chair Eugenio “Toto” Villareal

THE MOVIE and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) have signed a Memorandum of Agreement to intensify public awareness for the protection and promotion of human rights.

MTRCB Chair Eugenio “Toto” Villareal led the MOA signing at the CHR office in Diliman, Quezon City on Dec. 9, with CHR chair Jose Luis Martin “Chito” Gascon, MTRCB board member Noel del Prado and CHR commissioner Karen Gomez-Dumpit in attendance.

According to Villareal, the signing is a confirmation of the cooperation between the two agencies “especially in the MTRCB’s developmental activities, like the ‘Matalinong Panonood’ program for the protection of viewers, and in the adjudication and dispute resolutions via a ‘rights-based’ approach. With the CHR as our ally, we’d like to share with our stakeholders what we’ve learned about human rights issues.”

For his part, Gascon said that, as state institutions, the CHR and MTRCB play a crucial role in value-building. He explains, “The MTRCB ensures that whatever comes out of this impacts our future and results in a humane, democratic and peaceful society.”

Through the partnership, the MTRCB and CHR seek to formulate integrated advocacy programs to promote human rights and prevent violations by undertaking an information campaign on the human rights of vulnerable groups.