Do criminals have more rights than victims?
Credit to Author: Javier J. Ismael| Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2019 17:09:53 +0000
SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, who scrutinized the budget of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), said the commission seemingly values the rights and lives of drug criminals over those of their innocent victims.
“Why does it seem that the CHR only focuses now on the due process and rights of drug lords and ruthless criminals? Paano naman ang mga inosenteng biktima ng mga kriminal na lulong sa iligal na droga (What about the victims of drug addicts)?” Go asked CHR Chairman Chito Gascon during the Senate plenary interpellations on the 2020 budget.
“Isang tanong lang po, ano ang mas importante sa inyo? Buhay ng inosenteng Pilipino o buhay ng mga kriminal (One question only, which do you value more? The lives of innocent Filipinos or the lives of the criminals)?” he said.
Urging neutrality from the commission, the senator asked the CHR not to be selective when conducting its investigations of alleged human rights violations in the war on drugs.
“I’m all for due process and investigating abuses. I’m all for accountability. Pero sana, hindi (But I hope) it’s not selective,” Go told members of the Senate.
“There are two sides [of the] fence, tingnan natin parehas. ‘Wag tayong mag-focus sa isang side lang kasi there are always multiple versions of the truth. We must be neutral (Let’s look at both [sides], let us not focus on one side alone because there are multiple versions of the truth. We must be neutral),” the senator pointed out.
The CHR assured Go that it does not take sides and will be neutral in its investigations, saying the commission “is an independent, non-partisan oversight institution.”
As the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Go questioned how the CHR utilizes its budget, asking “How much of the budget of CHR is being used to defend criminals? Meron pa bang natitira to defend innocent victims? (Is there budget left to defend the innocent victims)? ”
Highlighting that part of the functions of the CHR is to investigate “all forms of human rights violations including civil and political rights, whether they are committed by public officers or by civilians or rebels,” the senator also asked why the commission seemingly focuses on human rights of drug criminals rather than their innocent victims.
“Napapansin ko lang, mas hinahabol niyo ‘yung law enforcers tuwing meron silang napapatay na mga kriminal. Even the President of the Philippines ay hinahabol ninyo, binabatikos ninyo tuwing may namamatay na kriminal (I have noticed that you always run after law enforcers every time they have killed criminals. You also run after the President of the Philippines, you criticize him every time a criminal is killed),” Go said.
“How much of the P863,138,000 will be used by the CHR for the investigation of all forms of human rights violations involving civil and political rights?” he further asked.
Meanwhile, Go pointed out that the government’s strong stance and campaign against illegal drugs has been met positively, especially by families of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who make up a significant portion of those affected by the drug menace.
“These [OFW] families have been telling us that the fact this administration is taking a hardline stance to address the age-old drug problem is good for them, as they know that, finally, the government is stepping in to stop this menace,” he explained, saying the drug war is one of the reasons why OFWs favor the President.
“Hindi mababayaran ang lungkot na nararamdaman nila na malayo sa kanilang pamilya pero pinipili nilang ipagpatuloy ang mga pagtatrabaho para sa kinabukasan. Ang sa akin lang, ayokong masira ng droga ang mga pamilyang ito. Even just one broken family due to drugs is one too many (No amount of money can pay the feeling of loneliness to be far from their families, still our OFWs have to continue working [overseas] for their future. My point is that, I don’t want drugs to destroy [OFW] families),” Go said.
Go asked, too, how much of CHR’s budget would be used “to assist and help these private individuals attain justice and mend their shattered families to be whole again?”
The senator also questioned how much of the commission’s budget will be allotted to provide legal aid and preventive measures “to underprivileged Filipinos residing in the Philippines and abroad whose human rights have been violated or need protection,” especially those involved in illegal drugs.
He further questioned the inaction of the CHR in resolving drug-related human rights violations in the country in the past.
“Did you do anything to help stop the drug problem before? Napakarami ng human rights abuses due to illegal drugs. Alam nating lahat iyan. Pero bakit parang lumalabas na nabuhay lang ang CHR these past few years? Nasaan sila dati (There are so many human rights abuses due to illegal drugs. We all know these. But it seems that CHR came only to life these past few years? Where [was it] before?),” Go said.