THE Commission on Human Rights’ persistent criticism against the Duterte administration’s war on drugs has prompted Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to quip the Commission should have a zero budget for next year.
“If you ask me, their budget should be zero if that’s their performance,” Alvarez said at the sidelines of the budget deliberations of the commission conducted by the House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations, chaired by Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier threatened to abolish CHR as he stood by the police and the military amid allegations of human rights violations.
At the same time, Alvarez chided CHR chairperson Chito Gascon for supposedly upholding the human rights of criminals instead of the victims.
“I do not see any reason for this government to fund your commission’s operations. You opt to protect and uphold the rights of criminals rather than the victims,” Alvarez said during the budget hearing.
Alvarez said the CHR did not deserve any budget from the government for always being critical on its policies, particularly its war on drugs.
“Who gives you the salary. Isn’t it the state, and yet you always criticize your government,” Alvarez said, adding “the problem with you is that you protect the rights of the criminals and not the victims.”
But Gascon answered Alvarez: “It is also important we show that the state protect the rights of all individuals.”
The CHR proposed a budget of P1.23 billion, up from this year’s budget of P749 million.
However, the Department of Budget and Management slashed the CHR proposed budget to P678 million.
Alvarez backed the budget cut for the commission.
This developed as several lawmakers also decried the way the CHR had been performing its role as a human rights body.
Rep. Harry Roque of Kabayan party-list said the CHR had been very vocal about the alleged human rights violations of the current Duterte administration, but not on the human rights abuses reportedly committed during the Aquino administration.
He said that while the CHR and the mandate of promoting and protecting human rights should be apolitical, the CHR had been perceived to be very political.
“They choose only to criticize the human rights record of the current administration and they remain silent on the human rights record of the past dispensation,” said Roque, a human rights lawyer.
Roque said the CHR was perceived by the public as a political tool against the Duterte administration.