E/CN.4/1995/91/Add.1 page 88 minister or dignitary is assigned to armed forces, or to any penal institution or government orphanage or leprosarium. (sect. 29 (2), art. VI) ’As the option expressed in writing by the parents or guardians, religion shall be allowed to be taught to their children or wards in public elementary and high schools within the regular class hours by instructions designated or approved by the religious authorities or the religion to which the children or wards belong, without additional cost to the Government’ (sect. 3 (3), art. XIV)." "B. Comments of the National Security Council 1. In keeping with our Constitution and in line with its commitment to promote the people’s welfare, the Philippines Government has adhered to guaranteeing full respect for human rights, including the right and freedom to exercise one’s religious beliefs. 2. The Government, led by President Fidel V. Ramos, who comes from the minority Protestant faith, has respected the beliefs and practices of the various religious groups in the country. It has reached out to all sectors of society regardless of their religious persuasions, from the dominant Catholics to the minority Muslims and indigenous sects. 3. Under the present Administration, no one has ever been penalized or barred from exercising his/her civil and political rights because of his/her religious beliefs. 4. Filipinos, in general, have come to terms with the existence of various religious groups in the country and have accepted as a fact of life their legitimate manifestations and expressions. The proliferation of literally thousands of new indigenous or independent churches (as distinguished from the established mainline denominations) best indicate the Filipinos’ religious tolerance and the Government’s steadfast policy to safeguard without discrimination the exercise of religious freedoms. To a large extent, the development of such a tolerant predisposition may be traced to the liberal democratic system in the country and to the educational curriculum that championed respect for the belief of others. 5. An independent Commission on Human Rights has authority to investigate, on its own or on complaint by any party, all forms of human rights violations involving civil and political rights. The Government has not been made to account for any complaint on religious intolerance or discrimination. 6. From the foregoing, we could glean that a confluence of factors account for the fostering of religious tolerance and harmony. These include: 6.1 The Government’s political resolve to guarantee religious rights and freedoms;