THE Commission on Human Rights (CHR) finally has a new Chairperson and a new commissioner. Rights groups urge them to uphold the Commission’s mandate and expectations for independence, probity, integrity, and transparency to conduct investigations on human rights violations against poor and disadvantaged sectors, and provide prompt, responsive, accessible, and excellent public service for the promotion and protection of human rights.
In particular, members of the new commission en banc must address the recommendations by the previous commission during its public inquiry on the attacks and challenges against human rights defenders and its investigations in the drug war.
Thousands of complaints of rights violations including extrajudicial killings, torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detention, judicial harassment, threats, and dangers of red-tagging experienced by civilians, human rights defenders and communities remain, and investigations regarding these by the national human rights institution need to be conducted with utmost resolve to hold the perpetrators accountable, to ensure that government policies from which the violations emanate be addressed with the full view of making sure that the root causes are looked into and that there’d be non-repetition of the said violations.
But here’s a question. Can we expect the Commission to pursue an independent role and voice amid the investigations by the International Criminal Court and the scrutiny into the Philippine human rights situation in the United Nations Human Rights Council and through the UN Human Rights Committee and the Universal Periodic Review?
The CHR was created as a response to the atrocities committed during martial law. The new appointees should be strongly reminded of the continuing immense challenges of thousands of victims of human rights violations during the Marcos Sr. dictatorial rule, and their duty to uphold truth, justice and accountability, considering the Commission plays an important role in ensuring that recognition and reparations are accorded to the victims.
Such is deemed necessary considering the Commission’s mandate under Republic Act No. 10368 and the current environment where they are appointed into office by Marcos Sr.’s son.
The people are watching.
