SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian on Tuesday questioned why human rights education courses such as Human Rights 101, Right to Health, and Right to Mental Health are still not formally included in the country’s college curriculum despite existing laws mandating their integration.

During the Senate budget hearing of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), Gatchalian said human rights education should be basic and general knowledge, emphasizing that understanding these rights is essential for all citizens, regardless of profession or political belief.

“I saw here that you offer courses like Human Rights 101, Right to Health, and Right to Mental Health. But these are not embedded in college?” Gatchalian asked.

“These are very basic topics. I think these should already be part of the general education curriculum,” he added.

CHR Chairperson Atty. Richard Palpal-latoc agreed, saying the integration of human rights education in schools is indeed mandated by law.

“It’s good that you mentioned embedding it in the curriculum because under Republic Act 10368—the law creating the Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board and the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission—it is our obligation to include human rights education as part of the curriculum,” Palpal-latoc explained.

“The same mandate appears in our Anti-Torture Law, which also requires human rights education to be part of formal schooling,” he said.

Carmelo Victor “Chuck” Crisanto, Executive Director of the Human Rights Memorial Commission, said the problem lies in the absence of human rights education in both the Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education curricula.

“Many Filipinos don’t know what their rights are. These should be taught as early as grade school, then in high school and college,” Crisanto said.

Crisanto explained that because human rights are not systematically integrated into the formal education system, the CHR established a Human Rights Institute, which operates outside state-run schools to provide training and awareness.

Gatchalian emphasized that ensuring every Filipino student learns about human rights should be a national educational priority, saying it is key to building a society that values accountability, justice, and respect for human dignity.