Minority senators on Tuesday, October 12, filed a resolution calling on the Senate to express its sympathy and condolences on the death of Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chairperson Jose Luis Martin "Chito" Gascon.
In filing Senate Resolution No. 929, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senators Risa Hontiveros, Leila de Lima and Francis Pangilinan recognized Gascon for defending human rights and pushing for social reforms, from the days of Martial Law up to the administration of President Duterte.
"Chair Chito was a critical, if sometimes solitary voice, against the excesses of the Duterte administration, particularly in its war on drugs, its red-tagging operations, and its punitive and iron-fisted pandemic management strategies," the opposition lawmakers said in the measure.
"Despite the difficulties in conducting human rights investigations amidst an environment hostile to human rights and despite the attacks levelled against both the CHR and himself, Chair Chito soldiered on zealously and cheerfully -- making the CHR both a platform and safe space for fellow advocates doing human rights work," they added.
Gascon, they said, "ensured that the CHR is a bastion for truth telling against historical revisionism and fought attempts to whitewash the excesses of the dictatorship."
The CHR chief died on Saturday, October 9, due to COVID-19. He was 57 years old.
The Senate is currently on break. Lawmakers are expected to tackle and approve the resolution when sessions resume in November.