Following the impact of the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck off Cebu on September 30, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has called on government agencies and the private sector to ensure that assistance for members of vulnerable sectors is ‘well-considered, culturally sensitive, and timely.’
The CHR issued the statement on Friday amid the government’s distribution of aid to affected communities in the province.
‘The Commission calls on government agencies and the private sector involved in humanitarian efforts on the ground to ensure that responses for persons with disabilities, the sick, children and youth, the elderly, and the socio-economically disadvantaged are well-considered, culturally sensitive, and timely,’ it said.
‘Let us allow the human rights lens to guide our disaster relief for vulnerable groups in particular, so that we, as a society, can truly claim that we are keepers of even the less privileged,’ it added.
The CHR likewise pointed out the insufficiency of early warning systems and preparedness for vulnerable groups during disasters, noting that they are often ‘left behind to fend for themselves.’
The Commission emphasized that the United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (UNGPID) ‘provide that persons displaced by natural disasters have the right to protection, assistance, and durable solutions that respect their dignity and human rights.’
It also noted that the UNGPID ‘assigns the State the primary duty to provide assistance during displacement and to ensure support through the stages of return, resettlement, and reintegration, in shared responsibility with other humanitarian actors.’
Moreover, the Commission extended its condolences to the families of those who died in the earthquake in Cebu and nearby provinces.
‘As we stand in solidarity with government agencies and civil society organizations in their gargantuan efforts of rescue and relief, we particularly support all relief and rehabilitation for vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, the sick, children and youth, the elderly, and the socio-economically disadvantaged,’ it said.