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BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte cannot abolish the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) unless the 1987 Constitution is amended, the CHR said on Wednesday.
Duterte’s latest threat against the commission only shows the President’s utter disregard of due process, equal protection and other civil liberties, CHR chairman Chito Gascon said in a press statement.
“Any discussion to abolish CHR or any other institution for that matter can be taken in the proposed constitutional reform process. In other words, we shall cross the bridge when we get there,” Gascon said.
“These threats have encouraged the deepening of impunity, particularly because (Duterte) encourages the security forces to act beyond established protocols,” he added.
According to Gascon, the CHR is not a law enforcement agency and its mandate is to investigate all forms of violations of human rights, including civil and political rights.
“We are tasked to monitor the government’s compliance with international treaty obligations on human rights,” Gascon said. “We are the watchdog for the abuses of the government.”
“The CHR has a constitutional mandate and will continue with its responsibilities of fact-finding and documenting human rights violations, as well as [informing] the public about the importance of human rights in society,” he added.
A news conference after his second State of the Nation Address on Monday saw Duterte considering the abolition of the CHR.
Duterte described the commission as “weak” as he defended the operation of military and police forces in Mindanao, which is under martial law until the end of the year.
“You are better abolished,” the President said of the CHR. He stressed that he will not allow government forces to be investigated by the commission without his clearance.
He also accused the CHR of being “one-sided” and urged the commission to investigate the recent attacks on the Presidential Security Group and the police in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental.
Abuses committed by government forces are considered human rights violations, and these may be reported to the commission, the CHR said.
The CHR clarified that it does not investigate crimes, which must be referred to the police./PN
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