President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has appointed Judge Maria Amifaith S. Fider-Reyes as the new chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).
Fider-Reyes’s appointment, dated November 13, 2024, was officially transmitted to CHR on Friday, November 15. She is supposed to serve a term until May 2029 and was expected to finish the term of the Commission en banc or the CHR’s highest decision-making body.
With her appointment, the CEB now has five members, three of whom are women, thus improving gender representation in the Commission. Her leadership is expected to provide the CHR with diverse expertise to guide her human rights initiatives.
Fider-Reyes assumes this new position nearly three years into the CHR term. Before her appointment, she served until December last year after an awe-inspiring 17-year judgeship career. She has also earlier served as Presiding Judge of RTC Branch 42 in San Fernando, Pampanga, which is a general jurisdiction court also designated as a Special Commercial Court. Her judicial career cross-cuts various courts in the National Capital Judicial Region. She had been an Acting Judge for 12 years in Makati, Las Piñas, Quezon City, and Manila.
The CHR expressed optimism about Fider-Reyes’ leadership, noting her extensive experience and commitment to justice. Her appointment comes at a critical time for the Commission as it continues to address pressing human rights challenges in the country.
