ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Second District Rep. Celso Lobregat on Thursday explained his decision why he supported the position of the House of Representatives’ leadership to just allocate PhP1,000 budget to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) for the year 2018.
Lobregat said the CHR has to prove its worth and impartiality in the conduct of investigation on alleged human rights violations by the enemies of the state and “not to pin down the law enforcers, like policemen and soldiers who maintain peace and order and defending the country.”
Lobregat noted the CHR did not take actions on human rights violations committed by the terrorists and rebels such as in the case of the 2013 Zamboanga siege, the 2015 Mamasapano incident and the Marawi siege.
He also cited that the beheading of soldiers and kidnappings in Mindanao are among the human rights violations committed by terrorists and rebels that were not acted upon by the CHR.
He added that “the issue here is not about the agency itself, but about the position and functions of the head of CHR and its personnel who are reportedly getting bias with the judgment on the present intensified campaign against drugs by the Duterte administration.” (PNA)
