CHR welcomes extension of fund release for martial law victims

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) welcomed on Saturday President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval of extending the release of funds until the end of 2019 for victims of human rights abuses during the martial regime of then-President Ferdinand Marcos.

“The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) welcomes the signing of the joint resolution extending the maintenance, availability, and release of the funds intended for the victims of human rights violations during the Marcos dictatorship,” CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said in a statement on Saturday.

On Feb. 22, Duterte signed the joint Senate and House resolution mandating the Bureau of Treasury and the Land Bank of the Philippines “to release the funds and ensure the payment of the claims” and “authorized the Commission on Human Rights to administer its effective distribution.”

Under the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013, or Republic Act No. 10368, compensation for the victims of rights abuses during martial law will be sourced from a P10-billion fund.

READ: Duterte extends compensation period for martial law victims

CHR then clarified that the resolution would not “reopen the application for new claims and the appeals process.”

It would only apply to “pending cheques from the previously granted applications that have not been encashed for varying reasons, such as failure to give prior advice on the death of claimants and inability to comply with the process of extrajudicial settlement of estate to name a few.”

The CHR also issued a warning.

“We remind the public to be wary of groups and personalities who seek to exploit the victims of human rights violations by twisting facts on the newly signed resolution,” De Guia said.

The CHR said the process undertaken by the Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board (HRVCB) for financial reparation of the victims was different from the case filed by American human rights lawyer Robert Swift, who won a class suit filed in Hawaii in 1986 on behalf of 9,353 claimants.

The CHR is also coordinating with the Department of Budget and Management, Bureau of the Treasury and the Landbank of the Philippines to “restart the process of attending to stale, uncashed, or unclaimed cheques.”

The distribution of financial reparations would take at least two months since the funds had already been returned to the Treasury and will have to be requested back, CHR said.

Last May 11, 2018, the claims board was able to approve and duly recognize 11,103 legitimate claimants out of more than 75,000 applicants.

However, the board was only able to resolve 6,737 appeals by May 6, 2018, six days before the deadline on May 12, 2018. /atm