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Chapter I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

INTRODUCTION

The Human Rights situation in the Philippines became an issue in recent years with

reports of rising number of victim of extrajudicial killings, prompting the United Nations to take
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action. Local and international human rights organizations launched campaigns on the

extrajudicial killings issue, demanding accountability for those involved in the killings. Because

of these events, the Philippines’ fare on human rights has been the subject of numerous media

outlets in the world. International organizations, such as the United Nations and Human Rights

Watch questioned the country’s treatment of human rights.

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The term ‘human rights’ stems from the recognition of rights that belong to an individual

as a consequence of being human. The Encyclopedia Britannica (vol. 6), defined human rights as

a wide continuum of values that are universal in character and in some sense equally claimed for

all human beings. This advocacy has been reflected in the authorities over the years. The general

agreement that all human beings are entitled to some basic rights marked the birth of the

international and universal recognition of human rights. In the charter establishing the United
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Nations, all members were pledged to achieve ‘universal respect for, and observance of human

rights and fundamental freedom for all without distinction as for race, sex, language, or religion’

and the UN has continued to affirm its commitment to human rights, particularly in such

documents as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948.

In line with recent events, the awareness of Filipinos as to what and how these human

rights are supposed to be treated has become an appealing study to partake. It is important to take
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into consideration the factors that affect their perception and awareness. The potential that these

variables are somehow linked and related to each other served a great role in the formulation of

useful recommendations.

How do people perceive obstacles to their natural and inherent rights? What kind of

knowledge and education do they require to overcome them? What type of social action is

necessary to reform the structures--political and social--that impinge on and obstruct the
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realization of human rights? These are some problems that need to be addressed by human rights

education programs.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Human rights, according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, refer to norms that

aim to protect people from political, legal, and social abuses. The United Nations (UN) defines
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human rights as universal and inalienable, interdependent and indivisible, and equal and non-

discriminatory.

A. 1987 Philippine Constitution Article III Bill of Rights

Human rights in the Philippines pertain to the concept, practice, and issues of human

rights within the Philippine archipelago. The concept of "human rights," in the context of the
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Philippines, pertains mainly (but is not limited) to the civil and political rights of a person

living in the Philippines by reason of the 1987 Philippines Constitution. Human rights are a

justified set of claims that set moral standards to members of the human race, not exclusive to a

specific community or citizenship. Membership in the human race is the sole qualification to

obtain these rights. Human rights, unlike area-specific conventions of international laws (e.g.

European Convention on Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political
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Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights), are universally justifiable as it pertains to

the entire human race, regardless of geographical location.

B. United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Philippines is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

drafted by the United Nations (UN) in the 1948. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
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was adopted, alongside the Genocide Convention and the Convention on the Elimination of

All Forms of Racial Discrimination, by the United Nations in response to the tragic and

horrendous violations of human rights during the Second World War. The United Nations

Charter, a treaty, was created in order to define what roles, powers, and duties the United

Nations is allowed to practice in dealing with international relations.

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Human rights awareness is the people's perception that they have rights and that they

have them because they are human beings irrespective of any social or other distinction. It

also means the peoples' ability to easily distinguish various aspects of human rights--to life,

security, religion, expression, education, etc.--and that they understand the importance of

these aspects in relation to human survival and dignity.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
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Independent Variables Dependent Variable

Profile
age, gender, address, educational attainment,
residence, monthly income, household
background Relationship of
Socioeconomic Background
Awareness
scope, security, freedom, religion, justice, fair
and Perception and
hearing, arrest, life Awareness of Human Rights
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Perception
importance, implementation, protection, role
of the government

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The conduction of this study aims to give answer to the following questions:
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Problem No. 1: What is the demographic profile of the respondents with respect to;

1.1 Gender;

1.2 Age;

1.3 Address;

1.4 Educational Attainment;

1.5 Status of Residence;

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1.6 Civil Status;

1.7 Monthly Income;

1.8 Type of Residence; and

1.9 Number of Companions at Home?

Problem No. 2: What is the level of agreement of the respondents with respect to;
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2.1 Nature of Human Rights;

2.2 Human Rights Issues in the Workplaces ; and

2.3 Human Rights Issues in the Present Justice System?

Problem No. 3: Is there a significant relationship between Socioeconomic Background

and Level of Agreement among the residents of Barangay Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City in

terms of;
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3.1 Nature of human rights;

3.2 Human rights issues in the workplaces ; and

3.3 Human rights issues in the present justice system?

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
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Before the conduction of the study, the researchers hypothesized that there is no

relationship between the socioeconomic background of residents and their awareness

and perception on human rights.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Students. The conducted study will assist fellow students in their future studies

that will be under the scope of this study. This study will further aid the gaps of
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certainty created by confusion regarding the subject of human rights in the

Philippine context. This will hopefully bring clarifications and answers to those

students whose aim is to answer the same questions the researchers had. The

researcher’s fellow students will benefit in the knowledge and findings this study

offers.
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Citizens of the Philippines. The conducted study will be seen as an extension of

help to the Filipino community in terms of knowing what human rights are and

how it affects them as citizens of the Philippines. This will promote a sense of

awareness on their entitlement of rights and how this awareness can be used in

the advocacy of promoting justice. The conclusions and recommendations in this

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study may serve as bases for the formulation of programs promoting the teaching

of human rights.

Future Researchers. The conducted study aims to serve as a support and

reference to future researchers who share the same endeavor in learning the

extent of knowledge of Filipinos when it comes to their rights and what factors
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may influence their perception. This study will introduce future researchers to

ideas that will aid them in their future research. The recommendations of this

study may serve as their guide in avoiding confusion and mistakes.

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

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The researchers considered the respondents’ perception on human rights

according to their socioeconomic background. The inputs of the study were: (a)

extensive profile of the residents of Pinagbuhatan including their occupation, income,

gender, and household background, (b) awareness on what human rights are and what

constitutes them, and (c) perception on their human rights as residents of

Pinagbuhatan and their view on what is just and fair according to the Constitution.
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The study included 200 respondents from Barangay Pinagbuhatan in

Pasig City, aged between 15 and 60, who are male, female, and part of the LGBT

community of different professions.

A survey questionnaire was the main tool used for gathering data. The

statements in the questionnaires included the respondents’ profile, awareness and

perception on human rights and were structured to answer the objectives of the study.
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The originally planned sampling system followed convenience and snowball

sampling techniques.

Human rights referred to in this study is based on the Article III Bill of

Rights in the 1987 Philippine Constitution which is made up of 22 sections stating

the scope of Filipino citizens’ rights.

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DEFINITION OF TERMS

The following terms have been used in the conduction of the studies. Merriam-

Webster Dictionary served as the source for the definitions presented below.

 Arbitrary – depending on individual discretion and not fixed by law

 Awareness – having or showing realization, knowledge

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 Constitution – the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group

 Paradigm – a philosophical and theoretical framework of a scientific school or

discipline within which theories, laws, and generalization and the experiments

performed in support of them are formulated.

 Perception - awareness of the elements of environment through physical

sensation.
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 Human Rights – rights regarded as belonging fundamentally to all persons

 Socioeconomic – of or involving a combination of social and economic factors

 Virtue – conformity to a standard of right