(Eagle News) — The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to grant the Commission on Human Rights a budget of only P1,000 for next year, after 119 lawmakers approved a party list lawmakers’ proposal on the budget cut.
Only 32 lawmakers voted against the proposal by 1-SAGIP party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta to give the CHR a P1,000 budget after accusing the commission of doing selective investigation of human rights violations.
“You are supposed to investigate all human rights violations irrespective of any group, any location whether they are soldiers, policemen, NPA, members of the Maute group,” Marcoleta said.
Marcoleta also claimed that the CHR was “invalidly” created by the late President Corazon Aquino in 1986 when there was no Congress.
It was House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez who had earlier threatened to cut the CHR’s proposed budget for 2018 from P678 million to just P1,000, saying that commission was more partial to protecting the rights of ciminals and terrorists.
“Ngayon, gusto nila kriminal lang ang poprotektahan nila. … Wala man lang silang programa para sa mga biktima. Pero kapag ka ‘yung rights ng criminal ay maingay sila,” Alvarez said earlier.
“‘Yung mandato nila under the Constitution, hindi nila ginagawa. Ano ‘yun? Para protektahan ‘yung karapatang pantao ng lahat ng tao, hindi lang nung mga kriminal,” he observed.
CHR chair Chito Gascon described Congress’ move as “arbitrary, whimsical and capricious,” saying the commission would still defend their budget before the Senate.
Gascon claimed Congress’ move was also a “display of vindictiveness.”
President Rodrigo Duterte himself had earlier criticized the CHR for making noise only when the rights of criminals had been allegedly violated.
He noted how the CHR was silent when there were crimes committed against ordinary individuals where the perpetrators are terrorists or criminals like in the so-called Bulacan massacre.
He also observed that the CHR was silent when it came to crimes committed against policemen and soldiers.
The CHR was created under Article 13, Section 17 of the 1987 Constitution and granted specific powers and functions under Sec. 18.
According to the Constitution, “the approved annual appropriations of the Commission shall be automatically and regularly released.”
Under Section 18 of the Constitution, the Commission has the following powers functions: (1) Investigate, on its own or on complaint by any party, all forms of human rights violations involving civil and political rights; (2) Adopt its operational guidelines and rules of procedure, and cite for contempt for violations thereof in accordance with the Rules of Court; (3) Provide appropriate legal measures for the protection of human rights of all persons within the Philippines, as well as Filipinos residing abroad, and provide for preventive measures and legal aid services to the underprivileged whose human rights have been violated or need protection; (4) Exercise visitorial powers over jails, prisons, or detention facilities; (5) Establish a continuing program of research, education, ad information to enhance respect for the primacy of human rights; (6) Recommend to the Congress effective measures to promote human rights and to provide for compensation to victims of violations of human rights, or their families; (7) Monitor the Philippine Government’s compliance with international treaty obligations on human rights; (8) Grant immunity from prosecution to any person whose testimony or whose possession of documents or other evidence is necessary or convenient to determine the truth in any investigation conducted by it or under its authority; (9) Request the assistance of any department, bureau, office, or agency in the performance of its functions; (10) Appoint its officers and employees in accordance with law; and (11) Perform such other duties and functions as may be provided by law.