Quezon City 4th district Rep. Marvin Rillo has welcomed the Commission on Human Rights' (CHR) expression of support to his pet measure that seeks to increase government’s monetary compensation for victims of violent crimes and unjust imprisonment.
As such, Rillo said Sunday, Feb. 19 that he would seek the expeditious approval of the bill by the House of Representatives in the curent 19th Congress.
The neophyte lawmaker filed House Bill (HB) No.5029, which seeks to increase the maximum sums of money payable to claimants under the 30-year-old Victims Compensation Program (VCP).
“Under the newly filed bill, rape victims may claim as much as P50,000, while victims of illegal detention can claim up to P100,000 per year of incarceration,” the CHR said in a statement published on its website.
“While the Commission maintains that no amount of money can measure the worth of any person, HB 5029 affirms the State’s obligations to uphold the right to an effective remedy and the right to compensation in line with an array of (international) human rights treaties and conventions,” the CHR said.
Rillo’s bill seeks to amend Section 4 and 9 of Republic Act (RA) No. 7309. Enacted in 1992, RA No.7309 was the law that created the VCP.
“The P10,000 top limit per claim has remained the same for the last three decades despite massive erosion due to rampant inflation. Congress must now upgrade the ceiling to reflect the changing times,” Rillo said in justifying the measure.
The VCP compensates “victims of rape and crimes committed with malice which resulted in death or serious physical and/or psychological injuries, permanent incapacity or disability, insanity, abortion, serious trauma, or committed with torture, cruelty or barbarity".
The CHR is the independent office empowered by the 1987 Constitution to, among others, “recommend to Congress effective measures to promote human rights and to provide compensation to victims of violations of human rights or their families".