House of Representatives Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. INQUIRER PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) should present to the House of Representatives its programs in defending and promoting human rights to secure back its funding, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said Friday.
“’Yung pagbabalik ng budget ng CHR ay magdedepende ‘yan doon sa ibibigay nila sa amin na programa. Ano ba ang programa niyo para magampanan niyo ang tungkulin niyo base sa mandato niyo sa Saligang Batas?” Alvarez said in a televised press conference.
(The restoration of the CHR budget will depend on the program they will show us. What are your programs that will fulfil your mandate based on the Constitution?)
“Ngayon kung makita naman namin na maganda ‘yung programa eh bakit hindi? Tutal may bicameral (committee meeting) pa naman. Pero kailangan i-justify nila ‘yung kanilang paggagamitan ng pera,” he added.
(Now if we see that the programs are worthy, why not? After all, there is still a bicameral committee meeting. But they need to justify how they will spend the money.)
The House on Tuesday moved to give a P1,000-budget to the CHR as lawmakers accused the commission of failing to investigate rights violations of criminals and terrorists.
READ: House gives Commission on Human Rights P1,000 budget for 2018
The move has drawn flak on social media, with some calling for the defunding of the House of Representatives instead.
Alvarez remained unfazed by the criticisms, saying he is only accountable to his constituents in his districts and the general public, not to people on social media.
READ: Speaker Alvarez unfazed by critics of CHR budget cut
“We do not care if there is a group who disapprove of us, what is important is we do our jobs as representatives,” Alvarez said an interview on Thursday.
“That’s why for us, we just continue with our jobs. Anyway, our constituents are not those in social media, not the regular media, but those in our districts and the public,” he added. /idl