Butuan City – Residents and students groups from various parts of the Caraga Region have commended and expressed support for the stand made by three of its lawmakers voting no to the P1,000 2018 budget being prescribed at the House of Representatives for the Commission of Human Rights (CHR).
The three lawmakers from Caraga Region, namely Representatives Lawrence Fortun of the 1st District of Agusan del Norte and Las Nieves and Arlene Bag-ao of the island province of Dinagat and Evelyn Mellana of the 2nd District of Agusan del Sur were among the 32 representatives that voted against the motion of SAGIP Partylist Representative Rodante Marcoleta to give the CHR a P1,000 budget for 2018.
“I am proud of the three lawmakers from Caraga Region who chose to uphold the Constitution by opposing the P 1,000 budget allocation for the CHR,” said Lawyer Josefa Sorrera-Ty, Dean of the College of Law at the Father Saturnino Urios University (FSUU) and a Certified Public Accountant based in Butuan City.
“CHR is an independent National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) created under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, established on May 5, 1987 by virtue of Executive Order No. 163. The P1,000 budget allocation is a clear violation of the Constitution because it emasculates the CHR and prevents it from carrying out its constitutional mandate of protecting the human rights of the Filipinos,” she added.
“These three members of Congress are true and sincere vanguards of our human rights, for they understood the need for the CHR and by saying No to the P1,000 budget, they are preventing the return of that dark period of our history of gross human rights violations.”
For his part, Lawyer Dennis M. Bacala, Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) governor for Eastern Mindanao, said: “It was utterly shocking to manifest such arrogance and contempt for an independent office created under the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines. The House members only showed bad judgement instead of professionalism, inappropriate comportment instead of class. The legislators who voted for it not only jeopardized the agency’s operational expenses, but also the salary of its employees, even the retirement benefits of those who are scheduled to retire. We pray for a change of heart, for the members of Congress to listen to good counsel and to spurn malicious whispers.”
Fortun said he felt sad at the way the voting in congress turned out. “The role of CHR is very clear in the Constitution. It is an independent body that is supposed to have fiscal autonomy. Congress should respect the mandate of the CHR and, as lawmakers, we should help in strengthening, not weakening, the institution. If there is any deficiency within CHR, it should have been addressed through better budget.”
Student leaders also expressed their concerns.
Adin Delacriox Ligsanan, senior high school student leader from Bayugan Comprehensive High School in Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur, said: “It saddens me most to think that even our legislators, who are supposed to serve and protect the rights of the public, have pursued a false ideology fueled by this administration. It scares me to think that our government now values its pride, mediocrity and ego than its people and the rights that it upholds. Betraying human rights is betraying the Filipino people.”
The young student leader added that, “When our few brave legislators fought for what was right, they weren’t choosing sides. They were choosing the Filipinos, the people, the next generation. They were choosing what was right. These few brave lawmakers stood firm with their decision.”
Renalyn Tejero, chairperson of the Student Christian Movement of Caraga State University (CSU), said, “we laud our representatives for their stand in opposing the call to defund CHR. The shameless move of Duterte’s supermajority in the House of Representatives is tantamount to the abolition of a constitutional body and is, ironically, a full-blown disregard of human rights.”
Hundreds of posts in social media from Caraga Region expressed their admiration and support as well as calls to rally behind the lawmakers from cyber bullying and attacks on social media.
