COMMISSION on Human Rights chairman Jose Luis Martin Gascon on Friday shrugged off calls for his resignation and dismissed accusations that he was biased.
He and the commission are apolitical, he said.
“I assure the public… that none of my previous or future actions in public office would ever be motivated by vengefulness, vindictiveness, or subjectivity. We shall always abide by constitutional and human rights precepts in the performance of our duties as we shall keep faith that truth and justice shall ultimately prevail,” he said.
He said he will respect what other people would think of him.
“Every person has his or her opinion about how each of us should perform our respective mandates. I stand by the full record of my public service, including my current tenure as chairperson of the CHR,” he said.
“I will, to the best of my ability, perform my lawful mandate as head of an independent non-partisan constitutional office given the duty to protect and promote human rights in this country.”
He vowed not to be cowed by threats or be influenced to give special treatment to anyone.
“I will continue to do so without fear or favor and shall always speak truth to power. Secretary [Salvador] Panelo should focus on his job of trying to give the best legal advice he can muster for the Office of the President as I will do what I can in doing my job as best as I can,” he said.
During his second State of the Nation Address, President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to abolish the CHR and called for Gascon’s replacement for being biased.
Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said Gascon cannot be removed from his post since his post has a fixed term.
He said, however, that Gascon should have the decency to resign and be replaced by someone who is “not vengeful or who is not vindictive, or who is not subjective.”
“We welcome the statement that the Commission will not be abolished and that there is full respect for its independence. Similarly, we wish to assure the public that the Commission is non-partisan and its members come from different sectors to guarantee pluralism to ensure balance and diverse representation,” Gascon said.
Gascon was appointed by President Benigno Aquino III to head the CHR in 2015. His term ends 2022.
Also on Friday, Vice President Leni Robredo said abolishing the CHR would strip ordinary Filipinos, especially the poor, of their protection against abuses.
She said the commission is a constitutional body established to prevent human rights violations, notably by those in power.
“I do not agree to the aboliton of the CHR,” she said.
