MANILA — Civil society and advocacy organizations have presented their legislative agenda to candidates in this year's midterm polls, with human rights taking center stage among the election issues.

The Human Rights and People Empowerment Center (HRPEC) and 16 civil society groups have crafted a 12-point electoral agenda to guide candidates during their campaign and during their term of office if elected.

They said that while human rights must be at the front and center of the 2025 elections, economic and social rights — such as sustainable food systems, fair labor conditions, and livable communities — should also be given urgent attention as the world experiences a climate emergency.

"To advance these efforts, civil society must be able to take an active role in shaping better policies and monitoring implementation," they said in the 2025 human rights electoral agenda supported by the GOJUST Human Rights Component and the Commission on Human Rights.

'ABOLISH NTF-ELCAC, REJOIN ICC'

The groups urged candidates to ensure justice for victims of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and other state-sponsored crimes.

They recommended the abolishing of the controversial National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict or NTF-ELCAC, which had been on a red-tagging spree during the Duterte administration. 

The Supreme Court in 2024 declared that linking an individual to the communist revolution constitutes a threat to their right to life, liberty, or security. 

Red-tagging should be criminalized, the coalition told candidates.

Their electoral agenda included repealing the contentious Anti-Terror Law, which many groups had feared during the Duterte administration could be used by authorities to infringe on people's rights. 

The legislation was questioned before the Supreme Court, which in 2021 struck down some of its provisions but left the law mostly intact.

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The coalition also urged candidates to push the Philippine government to rejoin the International Criminal Court, which is investigating former President Rodrigo Duterte and his aides for their alleged crimes against humanity during his deadly crackdown on illegal drugs. 

LGBT, CHILDREN, AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS

Winning lawmakers should sponsor legislation that would protect everyone regardless of sexual orientation and identity against hate crime and discrimination, according to the groups.

Meanwhile, sponsoring bills related to the passage of divorce, Magna Carta for Children, and the decriminalization of safe abortion should be done, they said.

The Safe Spaces Act, the Magna Carta of Women, the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children Act, and the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act should also be reviewed, they added.

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FARMERS, WORKERS, AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S RIGHTS

There should be a special focus, the groups said, on strengthening the local agricultural economy to attain food sovereignty. Candidates should support production subsidies for small farmers and protect agricultural lands for local food production, they said.

They also urged the repealing of the rice tariffication law — a policy said to have negatively impacted the livelihood of rice farmers — and called for support for the Magna Carta of Young Farmers and Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill.

To uphold and strengthen workers' rights in the formal and informal sectors, they said lawmakers should sponsor the Anti-Endo and Anti-Wage Only Contracting Bills, the Security of Tenure Bill, the Magna Carta of Workers in the Informal Economy, and the Magna Carta for Delivery Riders.

Legislators should also push for the abolition of the regional wage board, advocate for an increase in the minimum wage "to achieve a living wage in a set number of years," review of the implementation of Batas Kasambahay, call for full trade union rights for the public sector, and review and update of the Migrant Workers Act of 1995.

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They should spearhead investigations into supposed violations of indigenous land rights and free, prior, and informed consent or FPIC, the groups said.

Reviewing the implementation of the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act, especially the function of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), would also help support indigenous peoples' right to self-determination, they said.

They also want lawmakers to ensure that indigenous peoples get enough allocation of resources for basic social services.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Climate change and the environment are often overlooked issues during elections, but the groups said these should be included to ensure the right of future generations to a balanced environment and to protect human rights in the face of the climate emergency.

They urged candidates to investigate incursions into protected areas, climate-critical watersheds, and key biodiversity areas such as the Masungi Georeserve in Rizal. Inquiries into alleged human rights violations against environment and land rights advocates should also be launched, they said. 

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For the groups, imposing a moratorium on deep-sea mining, offshore mining, and large-scale reclamation linked to widespread flooding would also protect the environment.

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According to the groups, candidates should consider sponsoring bills related to just transition, a phrase used by climate advocates to ensure people, especially workers and communities, are not left behind as countries shift from coal-based energy sources to greener ones. The bills include the Gender-Just Energy Transition Bill and Just Transport Modernization Transition Bill.

The groups also want the candidates to promote active and public transportation, areas in which the Philippines lags behind other countries and has been criticized for seemingly prioritizing traffic-easing projects that favor car users.

They also called for an increase in budgets for flood-prevention programs and infrastructure, especially in historically vulnerable areas.

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EDUCATION AND HEALTH

The Philippines, which many groups say experiences an education crisis, would benefit from integrating a "more robust" human rights education into its curriculum, the coalition said. This includes SOGIESC and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The candidates should also back proposals for adequate funding and other non-monetary support for Alternative Learning System Community Learning Centers, including teachers' welfare.

Candidates should consider championing an affordable and accessible universal healthcare system by controlling corporate spending in the state insurer PhilHealth, pushing for sufficient government subsidies, and lowering member premiums

Last year, PhilHealth was criticized for allocating millions for its anniversary budget, and more recently, some justices raised personal concerns regarding their experience with benefits during the oral arguments on the contentious P89.9-billion PhilHealth fund transfers.

The groups also called for expanded paternal leave and menstrual leave, and a review of the implementation of the Reproductive Health Law.

HOUSING AND LIVELIHOOD

The groups hope candidates will push for a government-subsidized jeepney rehabilitation program instead of what they call an "unjust" phaseout and modernization. 

They are referring to the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, which has seen a tug-of-war between the government and jeepney groups, some of which continue to oppose the scheme due to allegedly inaccurate government consolidation figures. The coalition has called for a moratorium on the consolidation of jeepneys, a requirement under the program.

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The groups, meanwhile, advocated for onsite, in-city, and near-city resettlements for displaced households, saying housing for them should be safe, affordable, and decent. Additionally, they called for a review of laws on housing and settlements, including policies on forced evictions.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Candidates of this year's polls are encouraged by the groups to support freedom of information by ensuring public access to official records and government data.

They should ensure transparency in the monitoring and evaluation of government policies and programs and support the institutionalization of a People’s Council in every local government unit, the coalition said.

There should also be a review and update to the Public Assembly Act "to avoid its weaponization against human rights defenders," they added.

The groups that helped craft the 2025 human rights electoral agenda include Active Vista, Alyansa Tigil Mina, Bayanihang Marikenyo at Marikenya, Center for Women's Resources, DAKILA, E-Net Philippines, Greenpeace Philippines, HASH - HIV & AIDS Support House, Inc., Karapatan, Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center, Model SK, PANTAY, Piston: Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide, Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa - Sentro, Teatro Tao sa Tao, and Ulirat Collective.