Status
UNCAT ratification date
18 June 1986
OPCAT ratification date
17 April 2012
NPM designated
Under consideration
The Philippines acceded to the OPCAT in 2012 with a declaration under Article 24 of the OPCAT, becoming the first country to postpone the implementation of Part III of the OPCAT, related to the in-country visits of the SPT.
The Philippines received a number of recommendations during its UPR in July 2017 calling on the State to establish the NPM and strengthen its efforts towards torture prevention. The Philippines noted these recommendations but did not commit to taking further steps.
The NPM Bill is still being discussed in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. Since 2018, the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHRP) has undertaken the role of interim National Preventive Mechanism, with the support of national civil society organisations.
The SPT visited the Philippines from 25 May to 3 June 2015. The report has not been made public yet. In addition to this, the SPT included the Philippines on a list of countries that have not complied with Art. 17 of the OPCAT which refers to the obligation to maintain, designate or establish an independent NPM. This list was presented before the General Assembly in September 2017.
The SPT member who is the SPT Focal Point for the Philippines is available here.