By Andrea Felice J Abesamis

On 26 March 2025, the XU Center for Legal Assistance, in partnership with The Asia Foundation, Balaod Mindanaw, and the Commission on Human Rights - Region X, officially became the physical center of the pioneering Northern Mindanao Human Rights Hub, reaffirming its commitment to advancing social justice and legal empowerment.

Attended by human rights defenders and representatives from TAF, the ceremonial launching of the hub was held at the Center’s new office located at CH 204, Campion Hall, Xavier University Main Campus. The office will also serve as the physical center, acting as the central node of the Northern Mindanao Human Rights Hub.

Committing to Justice: The Birth of the Human Rights Hub

The human rights hub is a product of the Asia Foundation’s Collaboration for Rights Enhancement (CORE) initiative, which is a four-year program aimed at supporting the promotion and protection of human rights as the foundation of equitable and sustainable development, given the context of a changing human rights landscape in the Philippines. The launch was the result of several months of multi-sectoral stakeholder consultations, involving access-to-justice actors in the region such as the regional office of the Commission on Human Rights, school-based law clinics, civil society organizations, and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

CORE envisions a fully operational human rights coordination mechanism through various local human rights hubs composed of multi-sectoral stakeholders addressing the demand for accessible, quality, and direct legal aid to victims of human rights violations. In leveling off and facilitating the creation of the human rights hub, The Asia Foundation held a series of meetings with multi-sectoral stakeholders to ground their commitment to social justice and facilitate discussions on what roles each stakeholder would fill and what activities or initiatives would be done to achieve the desired outcome of uplifting and defending human rights.

Launching the Human Rights Hub: The Continuing Commitment

In an intimate program to officially launch the human rights hub, various stakeholders and human rights defenders came together to celebrate the momentous event. Mr Sam Chittick, the country representative for the Philippines of the Asia Foundation, stressed the importance of upholding human rights and shared his happiness and gratitude for the official launch of the human rights hub in Northern Mindanao.

Several human rights defenders also shared similar sentiments. A representative of KILUSAN recounted his experiences with the human rights scene in the more conflict-prone areas of Mindanao, while a tribal leader from one of the indigenous peoples' tribes of Misamis Oriental shared her difficulties in upholding their rights as indigenous peoples, particularly regarding the protection of their ancestral lands. Both expressed their appreciation and gratitude for the launching of the human rights hub, with hopefulness that it would yield results in safeguarding such human rights.

In reaffirming their commitment to social justice and to the Northern Mindanao Human Rights Hub, Atty Ernesto Neri, Director of the XU Center for Legal Assistance, emphasized that rendering legal aid is not just part of the mandate of the Legal Education Board but also integral to forming law students who are more socially conscious and appreciative of human rights.

Mr Ritz Lee Santos, Director of Balaod Mindanaw, also shared his gratitude for the establishment of the human rights hub—a project whose design took years to come to fruition but finally became a reality today—and reaffirmed the partners' commitment to be vanguards in protecting human rights in Northern Mindanao.

x x x

The official launch of the Northern Mindanao Human Rights Hub was commemorated with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting by Atty Neri and Mr Chittick at the Office for the XU Center for Legal Assistance, which will serve as the physical office for the said human rights hub. This milestone marks a strengthened regional effort to protect human rights, ensure access to justice, and empower marginalized communities.