arrive, the morning snacks was served. At 9:24 in the morning a total of 11 participants coming from different parts of Bansalan are listed in the attendance form. Preliminaries | Opening Ceremony, Welcoming of Participants, and Rationale | 9:25 AM – 9:52 AM At 9:25 AM, the activity was formally opened with an invocation. A multimedia presentation of the song Dakilang Maylikha by Gary Granada served as the morning prayer. This was then followed by the singing of the Philippine National Anthem. Acting as the main facilitator of the activity, Mr. Alfonso Balansag Jr. led the introduction of the participants. He then introduced the activity and gave a brief background of the topics. A welcome message was also given by the Municipal Mayor of Bansalan, Hon. Quirina Sarte. In her message, she welcomed all the participants and thanked them for responding to the invitation. She recognized that the work of camp managers are not easy and it is her hope for everyone to learn from the process. In closing, she encouraged everyone to engage in the activity and other related workshops. Learning Input 1: Human Rights @ Rule of Law @ CHRP Mandate as Gender Ombud and other related issues | 9:53 AM – 11:15 AM At 9:53 in the morning, a learning input on the Mandate of Commission on Human Rights was facilitated by Mr. Alfonso Balansag Jr. This session allowed the participants to understand the role of CHR in the promotion and protection of human rights. Below are the salient points of Mr. Balansag’s input: • • To start his presentation, Mr. Balansag asked the participants about their perceptions on the Commission on Human Rights. He then presented some of the common perceptions about CHR. Among these common perceptions are the following: CHR favors criminals, CHR as enemy of the state; and CHR as allies or protector of drug dependents, drug lords, criminals, and rapists. Mr. Balansag clarified these perceptions by narrowing his discussion on the importance of Human Rights and the Mandate of CHR. In order to deepen the participants’ understanding of the importance of Human Rights, Mr. Balansag provided the definition of human rights according to the United Nations, Commission on Human Rights, and late Senator Diokno: o United Nations: human rights are generally defined as those rights which are inherent in our nature and without which we cannot live as human beings. o CHR: human rights as the supreme inherent and inalienable rights to life, to dignity and to self-development. It is the essence of this rights that makes man human. 9