Poe wants protection, rights for internally displaced persons

Senator Grace Poe. PHOTO FROM SEN. GRACE POE’S OFFICE

Senator Grace Poe urged the government on Friday to protect thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Marawi City by providing them access to basic services and welfare.

Poe filed Senate Bill No. 1513 or the proposed Rights of Internally Displaced Persons Act to protect the rights of IDPs and to ensure that they get the “human dignity they deserve.”

“IDPs are not specially protected under international law. Reports submitted to the United Nation Economic and Social Council on this topic state that ‘while existing law covers many aspects of particular relevance to internally displaced persons, there remain areas in which the law fails to provide sufficient protection for them,’” Poe said in her bill’s explanatory note.

More than 300,000 people have so far been displaced since violence erupted in Marawi two months ago, the senator said.

The measure seeks to preserve the rights of IDPs caused by natural or man-made disasters, armed conflicts, organized violence, and clan wars.

It also seeks the implementation of development projects and provides access to basic necessities such as food, shelter, and clothing, as well as health and education. Under the bill, IDPs shall enjoy freedom of movement and protection against forcible return or resettlement where they will be at risk.

The bill also requires national authorities and local government units to provide protection and humanitarian assistance to IDPs within their jurisdictions. This shall include establishing conditions for IDPs to return voluntarily to their homes, integrating them into the local community or allowing them to settle voluntarily in another part of the country, considering their cultural heritage and traditions.

Under the measure, IDPs shall also have the right for political participation, and to be entitled to claim and be awarded civil damages from any person who directly or indirectly violate their rights. JPV