CHR says P1,000 budget meant to pressure it to ease up on gov’t criticism

A Commission on Human Rights official on Sunday said that the budget of P1,000 the House of Representatives voted to give it is meant to "control and pressure" the CHR to "ease up" on criticizing the government's campaign against illegal drugs.

In an interview on radio dzBB, CHR Commissioner Roberto Cadiz said that the move of the House of Representative is an "attempt to achieve indirectly what they could not achieve directly."

"Hindi naman po kami pwedeng patayin nang ganon-ganon na lang; that would be a clear violation of the Constitution. And I suspect that the leadership in the lower house knows this, ganon pa man, nakita 'yung kanilang flexing of power, political power," Cadiz said.

"But at the end of the day, that's not gonna happen. Everybody knows, even the Speaker [Pantaleon] Alvarez knows, that at the end of the day this is not gonna happen. Gayunpaman, bigyan natin sila ng espasyo maglabas ng galit, ng kanilang suspicion," he added. "Parang part na rin 'yan ng pressure on their part [for us] to ease up on the administration's campaign against the drug trafficking and drug use."

Cardiz emphasized that the Commission understands that this is part of "political dynamics."

"This is part of the political dynamics, may checks and balances tayo, tingin nila they are overstepping our boundaries. So ito yung way nila to control us, naiintindihan namin 'yan," he said.

With a vote of 119-32, the House last week approved 1-SAGIP party-list Representative Rodante Marcoleta's motion to reduce the 2018 proposed budget of the CHR to P1,000.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez also said that all of the CHR's commissioners as well as chairman Chito Gascon should quit, saying that they don't understand the commission's mandate.

He earlier vowed to give the Commission of giving a budget of only P1,000 for 2018 while also accusing it of only protecting criminals.

Misunderstanding on CHR's mandate

Cardiz said that there seems to be a "misunderstanding" about the CHR's mandate, stressing that the commission does not function like the police.

"There is a misunderstanding of our mandate. Matagal na po namin pinapaliwanag 'yan at maganda po na nangyari itong ginawa nila sa lower House dahil nagkaroon po kami ng mas malawak na oportunidad upang mas maipaliwanag itong aming mandato," he said.

"Uulitin ko lang po, ang mandato po ng CHR ay hindi pareho ng mandato ng kapulisan. Pag ka may mga ordinary killings,  rape committed, kidnapping etc. ang dapat pong naghahabol diyan, tumutugis, nagiimbestiga, nagfa-file ng kaso at nagpapakulong ay yung departamento under the Executive department, or the agencies under the Office of the President," he added.

"So hindi po 'yan trabaho ng CHR. Ang trabaho po ng CHR ay ang bantayan ang gobyerno upang siguraduhin na ang kanilang mga gawain ay umaayon sa mga prinsipyo ng human rights at tsaka rule of law," Cardiz said. — Marlly Rome C. Bondoc/BM, GMA News