MANILA, Philippines--The Commission on Human Rights is set to wield its power of granting immunity from prosecution to persons, including military agents, who could testify on political killings and enforced disappearances.

"This will really be of great help in encouraging more witnesses to come forward," said newly appointed CHR Chairperson Leila de Lima in a recent interview with reporters.

She expressed hope that maximizing the CHR's power to protect witnesses would help stop the scourge that has stained the country's human rights records in the eyes of the international community.

She pointed out that as an investigative body, the CHR has been mandated to grant immunity to any person whose testimony or whose possession of documents or other evidence could help determine the truth in any investigation conducted by the commission.

But the commission's immunity power has been "under utilized or has never been used" in recent years, in terms of pushing witnesses in extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances to come forward, noted De Lima.

The witness protection offered by the Department of Justice, she also pointed out, would not be enough.

At present, nobody has been held liable or prosecuted for human rights violations for the lack of witnesses, among others, she said.

The Human rights group Karapatan (Rights) has recorded 887 extrajudicial killings and 185 enforced disappearances from Jan. 21, 2001 to Oct. 31, 2007. But the figures have been disputed by the military.

The group has blamed the military for the increasing number of political killings and abductions in the country.

"Using our immunity powers will help a lot in persuading those who are in the know about extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, especially retired military officers, to speak about what they know," said De Lima.

Aside from using its immunity power, the CHR would also push for an independent forensic center to reinforce investigation of human rights violations, she added.

The CHR has been dependent on the police, the University of the Philippines and other private firms in terms of forensic work.

Executive Director Jacqueline Mejia said the commission had an initial P3-million budget for the project, which would include the training of forensic personnel.

The budget is a cut from the P25-million fund allocated by Malacañang in its effort to help solve extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in the country.