The Supreme Court watches over the integrity of the institutional arrangements that allow society to function: the rule of law, democracy and the market economy. As the final arbiter, its legitimacy and integrity is vital to a democratic society. Thus the current dispute over whether the president can appointment a new chief justice despite the constitutional ban on midnight appointments is a serious matter. To help the public understand the implications, the National Institute for Policy Studies (NIPS) held a forum on 22 January 2010 in Pasay City. In collaboration with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty, Libertas, Alternative Law Groups, Transparency and Accountability Network and the Philippine Association of Law Schools, NIPS raised the question: “can the president circumvent the ban on appointments?” Read more on the NIPS forum on court appointments.

L-R: Atty. Ferdinand Rafanan, Atty. Ronald Solis and Ramon Casiple

As the nation prepares for the May national elections, the National Institute for Policy Studies (NIPS) held a democracy forum on 19 January 2010 at Quezon City to discuss whether the country is ready for poll automation. With the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty, NIPS invited teachers and sectoral group representatives to learn from the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) about its automated election system and the current status of its preparations. Read more on the NIPS forum on poll automation.

Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Leila de Lima

With the establishment of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, the Philippine Working Group (PWG) would like to bring the regional focus on the promotion and protection of human rights to the national level. Aware that a regional mechanism is only as good as its local counterparts, the PWG held a human rights forum on 12 January 2010 at Makati City. With the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty, PWG invited different sectoral group representatives to learn what issues they would like the next administration to focus on. Read more on the human rights forum.

Atty. Carlos Medina Jr., AHRC executive director

The Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC) is preparing a human rights agenda that it will present to presidential candidates next year. To strengthen this further, the AHRC decided to tap into the knowledge and experience of its alumni through a conference at the Ateneo School of Law in Makati City on 12 December 2009. With the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty, it brought together close to 40 former interns to discuss law and policy reforms and to talk about other avenues for human rights work. Read more on the AHRC conference.