President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has appointed Judge Maria Amifaith S. Fider-Reyes as the new Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).
In a statement, the CHR said Fider-Reyes was appointed last November 13, with formal transmission to commission on Friday, November 15. She will serve a term extending until May 2029.
Reyes’ appointment completes the roster of Commission en banc (CEB).
Fider-Reyes joins the CHR almost three years following the commencement of the current term, as she serves to be the fifth and final member of the Commission’s highest decision-making and policy-setting body.
The CHR said as the third female member of the sixth CEB, Fider-Reyes will strengthen gender representation and reinforce the diverse expertise guiding the work of the commission.
“Her appointment represents a pivotal milestone in fulfilling the leadership structure crucial to CHR’s mandate of upholding and advancing human rights in the Philippines,” the CHR said in a statement.
Prior to her appointment to the CHR, Fider-Reyes retired in December 2023 from the judiciary after 17 years of service, according to the CHR.
She served as the Presiding Judge of the Regional Trial Court (RTC), Third Judicial Region, City of San Fernando, Pampanga, Branch 42, which functions as a general jurisdiction court and a designated Special Commercial Court.
Fider-Reyes also concurrently served as Acting Judge for other courts in the National Capital Judicial Region, including those in Makati, Las Piñas, Quezon City, and Manila, for 12 years.
Her distinguished career also involves private practice in the Palma Ybañez Fider-Reyes Teleron Law Offices in Cebu City, the SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan Law Offices and the U.P. University Legal Counsel.
Fider-Reyes also taught law at the University of Southern Philippines and the University of San Jose Recoletos; and is a lecturer for the MCLE of the UP Law Center Institute for the Administration of Justice.
Her considerable judicial experience is further enriched by her time as a Court Attorney and her work with esteemed Justices of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals.
Fider-Reyes is also a Chevening Scholar, as she specialized in the International Rights of the Child at the University of London, Queen Mary and Westfield Colleges. She was also a visiting scholar at the International Legal Institute in Washington, D.C., and earned her Master of Laws at the University of Haifa in Israel.
“Her rich legal and judicial experience equips her to be an invaluable asset to the Commission. Her multidisciplinary expertise and unwavering dedication to justice will undoubtedly strengthen CHR’s initiatives to protect and promote the rights of vulnerable, disadvantaged, and marginalized sectors,” the CHR said.
“The Commission is confident that Commissioner Fider-Reyes’s leadership will further energize CHR’s efforts in crafting policies, advocating for rights, and instituting preventive measures to address human rights challenges in the Philippines,” it added.
—VAL, GMA Integrated News
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