THE COMMISSION on Human Rights (CHR) has condemned the recent spate of abuses and killing of young girls in the country.

“These cruel and reprehensible acts not only violate the fundamental rights of these individuals but also impose a grave disregard for the sanctity of human life,” the CHR said in a statement released Monday.

It gravely condemned the case of a Grade 2 pupil who was found dead in General Santos City last month and could have been a victim of rape.

It also cited the woman arrested for allegedly using her kids, aged 8, 11, and 13, for nudity and online sex exploitation as “despicable incidents.”

“We emphasize that the protection and promotion of the rights of girls and children are essential components of fostering a just and equitable community,” the CHR said.

It noted that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), signed and ratified by the Philippines in 1990, is a legally binding international agreement that outlines various rights of children.

Article 19 of the convention holds countries to take appropriate measures to protect children from all forms of violence and abuse.

Last month, lawmakers filed in both chambers of Congress the proposed Magna Carta for Children through Senate Bill 2612 and House Bill 10159, which subscribe to obligations under the UNCRC.

“We continue to call on authorities to take swift and decisive action to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice and that comprehensive measures are put in place to prevent such atrocities from happening again and to protect the well-being and rights of all children,” the CHR said. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

THE SUPREME COURT (SC) has ordered the Commission on Audit (CoA) to resolve a hotel owner’s money claims against the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) in a consolidated resolution that also reinstated a regional trial court’s ruling determining the cost owed by PAGCOR amounting to over P102 million.

Affirming a 2006 ruling by a Regional Trial Court (RTC), the Supreme Court en banc ordered CoA to settle the money claims made by Silahis International Hotel, Inc. (SIHI), operator of the Grand Boulevard Hotel.

The 2006 RTC Decision sided with the hotel, ordering PAGCOR to pay its restoration dues as it entered into a Contract of Lease on the second and third floors of the hotel for its casino from 2000 to 2004.

After a series of court battles, the SC reinstated the lower court’s decision that entitled SIHI to claim restoration costs from PAGCOR and reversed a 2015 Court of Appeals (CA) decision that voided the RTC ruling on the grounds that a third party — Pacific Wide Holdings Corp. — had an intervening claim as the new owner of the hotel. 

In the 19-page decision penned by Justice Ma. Filomena D. Singh, the SC reversed the 2015 CA decision and determined that Pacific Wide was not an “indispensable party” to the case since the rulings were based on the Contract of Lease between PAGCOR and SIHI, which had expired years before Pacific Wide came into the picture.

As for CoA, the SC determined that “SIHI’s money claim against PAGCOR is now a liquidated claim over which the CoA has jurisdiction.”

While the SC remanded that money claim to CoA, it ruled that CoA’s action of rejecting the money claim determined by the RTC was not a “grave abuse of discretion.”

“The CoA properly denied SIHI’s money claim. SIHI’s claim was anchored on the 2006 RTC Decision, as modified by the 2012 CA Decision, which could not be executed precisely because the 2015 CA Decision nullified it,” it read.

In the end, the SC ruled that “SIHI’s contractual right to receive payment from PAGCOR does not affect Pacific Wide’s later ownership of the leased property.” — Chloe Mari A. Hufana