Duterte urges Congress to reallocate CHR's P678-M budget to PNP

President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday urged Congress to reallocate the P678-million budget for the Commission on Human Rights to the Philippine National Police (PNP).

In his speech during his meeting with a policeman released by the New People's Army in Davao City, Duterte said the CHR budget can be used to buy body cameras for policemen.

"Kung ayaw ninyong isauli 'yung pera diyan sa CHR, why don't you invest the money para to buy equipment for the police na lahat ng police sa Pilipinas --- it's about 600 million, and it can buy it all --- na lagyan sila lahat, 24 hours a day ng camera dito sa --- I think it's shouldered… 'Yung mga state-of-the-art, kasing-laki lang ng butones eh." Duterte said.

"Just don't invade the privacy of the soldiers and the policemen. But you are free to embed and place cameras on the body of the law enforcers whenever they go out to operate because the Philippines is a narco-state already." he added.

Following the killing of 17-year-old Kian Loyd delos Santos, a senator said he will file a bill requiring policemen to wear body cameras during operations.

In the same speech, Duterte chided CHR Chairperson Chito Gascon.

He asked Gascon if he was a "pedophile" for being "fixated" on the recent killings of teenagers.

The CHR on Friday released a statement saying it is "deeply disturbed" by the recent killings of teenagers, including Delos Santos and 19-year-old Carl Angelo Arnaiz.

Policemen claimed in both cases that the teenagers were killed in shootouts. 

Duterte reiterated he had no plans to end his campaign against illegal drugs.

"Because the Philippines is a narco-state already," he said.

The House of Representatives had passed on third and final reading the proposed P3.767-trillion national budget.

It gave the CHR a measly P1,000 budget for 2018.

The President had threatened to abolish the rights body prior to the House's big cut on the CHR's budget. —ALG, GMA News