HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION. Commission on Human Rights Commissioner Beda Epres (center, front row) and Carlos Hilado Memorial State University (CHMSU) Vice President for Academic Affairs Russel De la Torre (2nd from right, front row), with other university officials, faculty members, and students after the signing of the memorandum of agreement establishing the Center for Human Rights Education (CHRE) at the CHMSU main campus in Talisay City, Negros Occidental on Friday (May 22, 2026). Under the agreement, the CHRE is mandated to mainstream human rights in university curricula, conduct research, develop educational materials, and assist in establishing human rights action centers. (Photo courtesy of CHMSU Center for Internationalization and External Relations)
BACOLOD CITY – The Carlos Hilado Memorial State University (CHMSU) in Negros Occidental, the first educational institution in the Negros Island Region to establish a Center for Human Rights Education (CHRE), is set to mainstream human rights in its course offerings.
The initiative was formalized through a memorandum of agreement forged between the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the CHMSU, represented by Commissioner Beda Epres and University Vice President for Academic Affairs Russel De la Torre, respectively, during the signing ceremony held at the CHMSU main campus function hall in Talisay City on Friday.
In a statement, Epres pledged the CHR’s full support for the partnership, declaring the signed agreement as a covenant, not merely a document.
“We envision the center as a hub where human rights are not merely discussed in theory, but are actively lived, taught, and practiced,” he said.
Epres noted that the CHRE should be “a space where educators are capacitated, students are inspired, and communities are engaged in advancing respect for the dignity of every person.”
The CHRE will be jointly hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences-Social Science Program, headed by Dean Arjay Alvarado, and the College of Criminal Justice, led by Dean Purisima Romero.
Under the agreement, the university’s CHRE is mandated to mainstream human rights in university curricula, conduct research, develop educational materials, and assist in establishing human rights action centers.
De la Torre affirmed the state university’s readiness for the collaboration.
“Learning at the university goes beyond the walls of the classroom. We welcome the new chapter that the partnership with CHR represents,” he said.
The signing ceremony was followed by the #AkoBatayan – May Karapatan ang Kabataan sa Kanilang Kinabukasan, featuring a series of forums on topics ranging from Human Rights 101 and youth leadership to the electoral process, attended by students, faculty, government officials, and representatives of youth organizations.
CHMSU Center for Internationalization and External Relations Director Rhoderick Samonte reminded students that understanding one’s rights and their limitations is foundational to becoming responsible and contributing citizens. (PNA)