Before vote, CHR went to House to urge against P1,000 budget

The Commission on Human Rights said that before the House's vote on their budget, they appealed to it not to follow through on earlier "threats" to give them only P1,000 or even "zero" for 2018.

“Matagal nang umuumang 'yang threat na 'yan sa amin. At kami nga po ay masigasig pong pumunta sa House of Representatives para idulog sa kanila na sana po huwag mangyari. So balot po ng kalungkutan ang aming hanay noong Tuesday,” CHR Commissioner Karen Gomez-Dumpit said in a telephone interview on Unang Balita on Thursday.

The House on Tuesday voted 119-32 in favor of a budget of P1,000 for the rights body for next year.

Dumpit added, however, that though they were saddened by the decision, they were glad for the representatives who stood against the budget.

"Thirty-two sila na tumayo at tumutol tungkol dito," she said.

"Paglabas naman po namin, marami pong humingi ng paumanhin. Maraming pong mga workers ng Kongreso ang nagsabing 'pasensiya na,' at ihabol na lang natin ito sa Senado," Dumpit said.

The CHR was also heartened by the response on social media, she said.

"'Yung sa social media po, nakakataba po ng puso ang suporta ng mga tao sa amin at sa karapatang pantao, higit pa," she added.

Dumpit said it only goes to show how people value human rights.

"So natutuwa rin po kami na nangyari ito para makita po natin kung gaano kahalaga ang karapatang pantao sa mga tao. At doon sa mga bumoto na ang iniisip nila na isang libo lang ang halaga ng karapatang pantao dito, siguro naman po ay magigising sila sa katotohanan," she said.

Pressure

The CHR also believes that the lower house's action was meant to pressure CHR Chairman Jose Luis "Chito" Gascon to resign.

"The Speaker [Pantaleon Alvarez] already made known to everybody that if Chair Chito resigns then he would probably give us a bigger budget," said Dumpit.

"Obvious naman po na panggigipit lang iyon," she said, pointing out that the CHR's Chairperson and Commissioners are appointed to serve for seven years, and the commission's current officers have only been serving for two.

"Wala po kaming kikilingan; ang kikilingan lang po namin ay mga prinsipyo at standards ng karapatang pantao," Dumpit added.

On drug war criticism

The CHR has been weathering criticism from certain lawmakers and government officials.

Before the House vote, Alvarez had accused the CHR of only protecting "criminals."

On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said that if the CHR's members were so against administration's campaign against illegal drugs, then they should quit.

And on Thursday, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said that the commission was being "one-sided" in its condemnations. "Ano ba ang diperensiya ng mga minors na pinatay ng mga pulis at yung mga scalawags, at minors na pinatay nitong mga drug traffickers na ito? Walang diperensiya 'yan, pare-parehong inosente ang mga minors na 'yan. Ngunit isa lamang ang nakikita nila," he said.

Dumpit said that the criticism that the CHR is being "selective" when it comes to condemning human rights violations is erroneous.

"Siguro po kailangan po pag-aaralan natin ang ating Konstitusyon—nakasaad po lahat iyan doon," she said.

"Kasama na po ang mandato ng Komisyon na nagsasaad na kailangan namin mag-imbestiga ng human rights violations. Pero po, ang pag-imbestiga ng human rights violations ay iba po sa pag-imbestiga ng krimen," Dumpit added.

She said the duties of the Philippine National Police and CHR are different.

"Ang pag-imbestiga ng krimen po ay nakasaad sa mandato ng kapulisan. Ngayon kung hindi satisfied and mga tao kasi maraming nagaganap na krimen at hindi ito nahihinto, ang kapulisan po ang ating tugunan, hindi po ang komisyon [CHR], " Dumpit said.

"Kaya siguro kailangang i-distinguish natin ang pag-imbestiga ng krimen sa pag-imbestiga ng human rights violation. Kasi ang human rights violation, umaakma po 'yan sa page-ehersisyo ng kapangyarihan at responsibiliad ng mga taong gobyerno. 'Yun po ang focus namin," she added. —Akari Nakano/KG/BM, GMA News

GMA News Online earlier reported in error that CHR will appeal the House's vote to give it a budget of P1,000. This article has been corrected.