On 14 February 2025, the Alternative Law Groups (ALG), a coalition of legal resource non-governmental organizations that adhere to alternative or developmental law, along with representatives of Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany (HSF), the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), the Philippine National Police-Human Rights Affairs Office (PNP-HRAO), formally introduced to the DOJ Human Rights Office (HRO) the Community-Based Dialogue (CBD) Project on Human Rights Promotion and Protection, and invited the DOJ to be a part of the Project. The ALG, PAHRA, HSF, CHR, PNP-HRAO, along with the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Center of Law of Armed Conflict (AFP-CLOAC), compose CBD’s Project Steering Committee (PSC).

The CBD Project, a collaborative initiative that also involves the CHR, the the Philippine National Police (through the Human Rights Affairs Office), PAHRA, the ALG, and the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany, aims to improve the human rights situation in the Philippines by fostering a constructive and collaborative working relationship between the security sector and civil society actors, including community leaders.

According to the PSC, they believe that the DOJ’s participation would ensure that the conversations about human rights are in line with current laws and necessary legal reforms, enhance in the access to justice, ensure governmental accountability in addressing impunity, help create a better relationship between law enforcement agencies, human rights organizations. Ultimately, the DOJ’s involvement will enhance the legal, prosecutorial and institutional elements of the CBD dialogues, leading to a more comprehensive and effective approach to promoting and protecting human rights.

The DOJ HRO expressed that the Project very much aligned with Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla’s thrust to strengthen and promote confidence in the country’s criminal justice system through proactively engagement with the civil society and communities. The capacity building aspect of the CBD Project is likewise very timely as the DOJ-HRO’s major undertaking for 2025 is the institutionalization of human rights-based investigation and prosecution.

DOJ-HRO and the CBD’s Project Steering Committee agreed to meet again to concretize future undertakings.

"Advancing human rights is most effective when we delve into the grassroots of society to get grasp on the real status of our communities to determine their urgent needs and acting upon them directly in the earliest opportunity, this is the true essence of delivering real justice for all," Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin "Boying" C. Remulla stated.