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affect their environment; to call for a referendum on important
issues affecting their lives; and, to recall regional or local officials
as provided by Republic Act No. 7160, the Local Government
Code of 1991, are hereby recognized.
The Regional Assembly shall enact priority legislation to
define such rights. Until such priority legislation is enacted,
existing laws shall govern the exercise of the rights mentioned
above.
SEC. 15. Fundamental Rights and Duties of People. – The
fundamental rights and duties of the people in the autonomous
region are those defined in the Constitution and this Organic
Act, the Geneva Convention, the United Nations Charter, the
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Communities, the International Declaration on Human Rights,
as well as those prescribed in all the laws, practices, and principles
binding upon members of the community of nations.
SEC. 16. Human Rights Commission. – There is hereby
created a Regional Human Rights Commission. The chair and
two commissioners of the commission shall be appointed by the
President upon recommendation of the Regional Governor. The
composition of the commission shall reflect the ethnic distribution
of the population of the autonomous region. The chair shall be a
lawyer and shall be a resident of the autonomous region. The two
commissioners shall, preferably, be lawyers or, at least, holders
of bachelor degrees from colleges or universities recognized by
the Department of Education, Culture and Sports of the central
government or national government.
The Regional Human Rights Commission shall perform
within the autonomous region, the functions of the commission
on human rights of the central government or national
government. Decisions of the commission may be appealed to the
Court of Appeals on questions of law.
Initially, the Regional Assembly shall fix the salaries,
perquisites and privileges of the chair and the commissioners of
the Commission at a level not lower than those fixed for the chair
and members of the National Labor Commission. The Commission