The most recent report of the ICJ aims to contribute to the current process of reviewing the Revised Penal Code (RPC), the main source of criminal laws of the Philippines, which was adopted in 1932.
No substantial amendments have been made since the adoption of the RPC and the Government of the Philippines now intends to develop a new Criminal Code that reflects international best practices and is anchored in human rights.
The report Righting Wrongs: Criminal Law Provisions in the Philippines related to National Security and their Impact on Human Rights Defenders focuses on existing penal law enacted in the name of national security, many of which have been used against human rights defenders to unduly limit their right to promote and protect human rights or whose mere existence casts a chilling effect on the work of human rights defenders.
The report also examines the Philippines’ Human Security Act (HSA) and the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (TFPSA).
The two laws are not part of the RPC, but they are the principal counter-terrorism legislation in the country.
They form part of the body of criminal laws in the country that the ICJ believes should be considered for amendments.
The report analyzes these laws in the light of international human standards, and accordingly makes recommendations for the amendment of provisions or their repeal.
Download the full report here:
Philippines-Criminal Law Provisions-Publications-Report-2015-ENG (full text in PDF)