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By Prince Golez, Manila Reporter
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Thursday, February 9, 2017
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MANILA – The Human Rights Victims Claims Board (HRVCB) has been urged to immediately release the compensation claims of more than 45,000 human rights victims in the time of Martial Law.
Created in 2013 to recognize and compensate Martial Law victims, the HRVCB has until May 12, 2018 to accomplish its mandate.
Of the 75,730 applications for reparation and recognition, the Board has adjudicated only a total of 30,027 claims.
“It took 27 years after the fall of the Marcos regime before a law was passed to create the HRVCB. The victims have waited too long already,” said Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III.
Members of the HRVCB were told to “speed up” the process since thousands of others are waiting for their turn to get compensation.
“The Congress already did its job by extending their deadline, and that the Board should in turn do its job,” the senator said referring to the initial May 12, 2014 deadline of its mandate.
Last year, Pimentel sponsored the Senate version of Republic Act 10766 that gave HRVCB another two years to complete its mission
Meanwhile, the Board said they will release initial payments to 4,000 claimants by the second quarter of 2017.
This decision came after the Jan. 19 meeting between President Rodrigo Duterte and the members of the HRVCB and the Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto.
“I hope they can do the same for all other claimants still waiting for their compensation,” Pimentel said./PN
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