By KIMBERLIE QUITASOL
www.nordis.net
BAGUIO CITY — International and local rights groups challenged the newly appointed chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to the commission’s independence and uphold its mandate.
In a statement, the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) urged the new commission “to promote and protect human rights amidst intensifying attacks against civil and political rights in the country.”
“We strongly call on the CHR to work independently from the Malacañang despite being appointed by (President Ferdinand Marcos,Jr.),” said CHRA spokesperson Casselle Janica Ton.
She also welcomed the newly appointed CHR chief Richard Palpal-latoc’s commitment to be fair and render speedy justice to all.
Ton urged the new CHR leadership “to hold accountable the perpetrators of human rights violations under the previous and the current regime.”
She called on the office to address the intensifying attacks against indigenous peoples immediately. According to her, attacks against indigenous peoples intensified in the first five months of Marcos, Jr in office.
Aside from harassment and threats experienced by indigenous peoples, Ton said free prior and informed consent (FPIC) process violations on extractive and energy projects in indigenous communities are also rampant.
Response to martial law atrocities
Karapatan, a national alliance of human rights organizations, and its local affiliate CHRA reminded the commission that its creation was a response to widespread human rights violations committed during Marcos’s dictatorship.
Ton said CHR “should never forget the dark years of Martial Law and the people’s assertion of human rights.”
Meanwhile, Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay pointed out that new appointees “plays an important role in ensuring that recognition and reparations are accorded to the victims” of Martial Law.
She underscored that reminding CHR of its creation and task is necessary, considering the dictator’s son appointed the new CHR leadership. She also noted that their appointment did not undergo an independent and transparent process.
Palabay said Karapatan would continue to engage the Commission in pursuit of justice and accountability for the victims of the Duterte administration and in defense of people’s rights and welfare.
Karapatan urged the Commission En Banc to uphold the recommendations of the previous commission on the attacks against human rights defenders and the investigation of Duterte’s war on drugs. They also called for the immediate resolution of thousands of rights violation complaints and to prevent these from continuing.
‘Slap on the face’
Meanwhile, Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, said Palpal-latoc’s appointment is a slap on the faces of human rights victims.
“President Ferdinand Marcos Jr just slapped victims of human rights abuses in the face with his appointment of a loyalist lawyer with no discernable experience in human rights work as new CHR chair,” Robertson said.
He also noted the lack of transparency in the selection and appointment of Palpal-latoc, casting doubt on his statement at the UN General Assembly about ushering in a “new” Philippines.
“Chairman Palpal-latoc will have a steep hill to climb to demonstrate that he deserves to sit in that chair, and that he knows up from down about the Philippines’ international commitments on human rights,” Robertson said.
In a statement, Palpal-latoc said he is taking “due note” of the reactions of human rights groups and advocates to the recent CHR appointments.
“We take these as a challenge and we seek the chance to respond to the pressing human rights challenges in the country with an assurance that CHR under my leadership will be marked by utmost dedication, unquestionable probity, and speedy disposition of cases in the interest of upholding the rights of all,” he said. # nordis.net
