Palace: Appointments to Commission on Human Rights 'already under consideration'
MANILA, Philippines — Appointments to vacancies in the Commission on Human Rights are already "under consideration," Malacañang said, more than four months after the retirement of all the constitutional body's top officials.
The commission is composed of a chairperson and four commissioners, who have seven-year terms and who cannot be reappointed. At least one commissioner must be a member of the Bar.
"I can't really say when the appointment is going to be made. I understand that it is already under consideration," Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said at a press briefing on Thursday when asked when President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. would appoint new CHR officials.
"So maybe any day now, I'm not sure. But like I said, it has been under consideration already," she added.
The seven-year terms of the previous CHR chairperson and commissioners expired last May. Malacañang has been informed about the vacancies, CHR Executive Director Jacqueline de Guia said.
The CHR was at the House of Representatives on Thursday to defend its budget, which has been cut to P846.38 million in the proposed national budget for 2023. The amount is 12.27% lower than the P964.7 million for the commission in this year's budget.
In 2017, the House in plenary voted to give the CHR an annual budget of P1,000 over lawmakers' complaints that it was focused on rights abuses by state security personnel only. The incredible budget cut was later reversed.
Misconceptions on CHR mandate
At the budget hearing at the House, De Guia acknowledged that "there has been a low appreciation [of human rights] during recent years and there has been a misconception of the mandate of the CHR."
Rep. Bienvenido Abante (Manila), vice chair of the House human rights committee, said that he wanted to put on record that "you are not the enemy of the state, that you are actually working with the state to condemn all forms of human rights violations." He added that government agencies should treat the commission as an equal.
De Guia said that CHR has also issued statements condemning attacks by the New People's Army and other armed groups.
"Over the years, we have made sure that the misconception about the mandate of the CHR is straightened out and that we are able to inject balance," she said.
"While we endeavor to call out government when it is allegedly commiting human rights violations, we also want to give credence and proper commendation when [they are doing their duties properly]," she also said.
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