Carlos Hilado Memorial State University (CHMSU) made regional history as the first institution in the Negros Island Region to establish a Center for Human Rights Education (CHRE), following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) at the CHMSU Talisay Main Campus Function Hall on Friday. May 22.
The landmark MOA was signed between CHR Chairperson Richard Palpal-Latoc, represented during the ceremony by Commissioner Beda Epres, and CHMSU Vice President for Academic Affairs Russel Dela Torre on behalf of President Norberto Mangulabnan.
The agreement formalizes a partnership centered on building a sustainable culture of human rights through instruction, research, and community engagement, a press release from CHMSU said.
Negotiated and facilitated by the Center for Internationalization and External Relations (CIER), the CHRE will be jointly hosted by CHMSU's College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) – Social Science Program and the College of Criminal Justice (CCJ), positioning the university as a regional anchor for human rights education in NIR.
Epres described the establishment of the CHRE as a milestone to be celebrated together and pledged the CHR's full and wholehearted partnership, declaring that the agreement they signed is more than a document but a covenant.
“We envision the center as a hub where human rights are not merely discussed in theory, but are actively lived, taught, and practiced — a space where educators are capacitated, students are inspired, and communities are engaged in advancing respect for the dignity of every person,” the commissioner said.
Dela Torre affirmed CHMSU's readiness for the collaboration, emphasizing that learning at the university goes beyond the walls of the classroom, and welcoming the new chapter the partnership with CHR represents.
The MOA signing was witnessed by CHR-NIR Officer-in-Charge Gazzelenne Corsame-Fuentes, CAS Dean Arjay Alvarado, CCJ Dean Purisima Romero and CIER Director Rhoderick Samonte.
Under the MOA, the CHRE is mandated to mainstream human rights in university curricula, conduct research, develop educational materials, and assist in establishing human rights action centers, the press release said.*
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