All CHR commissioners must quit, Alvarez says

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez believes that all commissioners of the Commission on Human Rights should also quit from their posts.

Alvarez made the remark amid calls for CHR chairman Chito Gascon to resign.

"Kung mag-resign, dapat lahat sila magresign dahil mali nga 'yung kanilang ano eh, 'yung kanilang pananaw doon sa tungkulin nila," Alvarez said in an ambush interview.

"Maglagay tayo ng Commissioners na naiintindihan 'yung mandato nila. Kasi 'yung isip nila kaya sila nandiyan para bantayan 'yung human rights violations, 'yung mga nasa gobyerno aba eh mali 'yon. Hindi ka nagbabasa ng provision ng Constitution," he added.

"Kung di nila ginagawa trabaho nila, sobrang kapal naman ng mukha. Gusto pa magpasweldo di naman ginagawa trabaho," Alvarez said.

Portion of the budget

Alvarez said a portion of the CHR's original budget would be granted only if they could justify the agency's programs.

He said that the P678-million budget was too huge for the agency.

"'Yung pagbabalik ng budget ng CHR ay madedepende 'yan doon sa ibibigay nila sa amin na programa. Ano ba ang programa niyo? Ngayon kung makita namin na maganda ang programa bakit hindi, may pa bicam naman. Kailangan ijustify nila ang paggagamitan ng pera," Alvarez said.

"Kailangan lang sa akin sige pakita mo san mo gagastahin 'yung pera. Tingnan muna namin 'yung programa, kailangan in the fulfillment of their mandate," he added.

Voting 119 to 32, the House of Representatives recently reduced the CHR's budget from P678-million to P1,000. —NB/KVD, GMA News