The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has lauded the expressions of support from presidential candidates to “empower” the commission and to uphold human rights since the country has been experiencing challenges over the past years.
In a statement, the CHR said: “For the past years, we were operating on limited budget and personnel -- not to mention gaps in cooperation from other government agencies -- yet we continue to fulfill our mandate to the best of our abilities.”
"We hope that these statements of support also affirm the importance of upholding the human rights and dignity of all, and that it will translate into a commitment that respect for human rights will be an important facet of future actions, policies, and overall governance in the next administration," it added.
During the second Presidential Debates 2022 held by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) last April 3, majority of the presidential aspirants agreed that the CHR deserves more support from the government.
Sen. Panfilo ‘Ping’ M. Lacson and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso both agreed that the CHR deserves a higher budget to carry out its mandate.
Former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales acknowledged the hardships faced by the CHR and echoed the sentiments of other candidates to give it more funding.
Vice President Leni G. Robredo highlighted the role of the CHR by saying that human right is "inherent" for everyone, while labor leader Leody de Guzman wants to abolish government agencies that violate human rights.
Jose Montemayor Jr., on the other hand, said the CHR should be given "quasi-judicial powers" to hold human rights violators accountable.