AMID increasing criticism of the House of Representatives’ measly P1,000 budget for the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) next year, House leaders held a news conference in Makati on Friday, Sept. 15, but stood pat on their chamber’s approval of the said budget.

In that televised press conference, House Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez said the CHR should first do its job so the House may restore the proposed P678 million budget for CHR. He was supported in this stand by House Majority Leader Rodolfo C. Fariñas and Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo V. Umali, chairman of the House Committee on Justice.

Mr. Alvarez cited, among others, the CHR’s inaction on the Jan. 25, 2015 Mamasapano operation in which 44 police operatives were killed in the hands of secessionist rebels.

But online criticism of the House emphasized, among other facets, crimes not committed by the police and military as being outside CHR’s scope.

Senators, on the other hand, maintained their collective stand, crossing party lines, that they would restore the original proposed budget for CHR.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon said in a message to the media on Friday that majority of the senators will support the CHR’s budget as approved for the plenary by the Senate Committee on Finance.

“Yes, majority of the senators will stand by the Senate’s decision to maintain CHR(‘s) budget. We will not agree with the cut of the HoR. If no agreement is reached, a deadlock by Dec. 31, 2017 means 2017 GAA is reenacted for 2018 for the whole government, including that of CHR,” Mr. Drilon said.

Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph G. Recto, for his part, said in a statement in response to House leaders: “Relax lang. Government says EJK is not state-sponsored – then it should not be afraid of providing more resources to CHR, the duly constituted office whose mandate is to protect human rights.”

Mr. Recto added: “I believe the President when he says he has not ordered it. But it is highly possible that there are rogue policemen abusing their authority. Let’s strengthen all institutions of government, including the CHR.”

Minority Senator Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV said he hopes the Senate committee report that retained the CHR budget will be supported by the Senate Majority during the plenary debates.

“This is a more immediate step that needs to be tackled even before talking about the bicam,” Mr. Aquino said in a text message to the media.

On Thursday, Senate President Senator Aquilino Martin L. Pimentel III said in an online message to Senate reporters that “the push for the CHR proper budget is a majority cause.”

Also on Thursday night, the Senate Committee on Finance approved for the plenary the P1.1 billion proposed budget of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) after the House also slashed this agency’s budget to a measly P1,000.

Along with CHR and NCIP, the Energy Regulatory Board was also given a P1,000 budget by the House of Representatives.

For his part, Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Michel Kristian R. Ablan said in a press briefing on Friday, “We’re hopeful that the budget we submitted to the Congress would be approved by the Congress.”

Mr. Ablan said the Department of Budget Management (DBM) and the Office of the President (OP) had submitted a budget of at least P600 million for the CHR in 2018.

Mr. Ablan also noted the slash in the CHR’s budget at the House was just in “the earlier stage” of the budget process.

“If we recall, every year, we start our budget…our budget process, at the earliest, January of the past… the previous year. And then the passage is hopefully by November and December. We’re only in September right now and we’re at the level of the House of Representatives. This budget, although cut, will still have to be sent to the Senate for further discussion and deliberation,” he said.

“We still have a long way to go. In fact, after the Senate – since the version of the Senate and the House may not always be the same – there will still be the Bicameral Conference Committee. So we’re still a long, long way from the budget approval,” Mr. Ablan added. – with Mario M. Banzon and Rosemarie A. Zamora

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