6 March 2012, through Senate Resolution 644 the Philippine Senate concurred to the accession of The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT), making the Philippines the 63rd State Party to the treaty. The OPCAT was unanimously adopted by 22 affirmative votes without any negative votes or abstention.
The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) is an international treaty which was adopted by an overwhelming majority at the UN General Assembly in 2002. The purpose of the Optional Protocol is to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. To this end, the Optional Protocol advocates the establishment of a system of regular visits to be undertaken by independent international and local bodies to institutions where persons are deprived of their liberty. The objective of these visits is to prevent torture and improve the conditions of prisons and detention centres.
The accession of the Philippine Senate to the OPCAT does not mark the end of our advocacy to end torture in the Philippines. Instead, the passage of the treaty signals more vigorous efforts to ensure the effective implementation of the treaty through the passage of OPCAT's enabling law, the National Preventive Mechanism Bill (NPM Bill).