MANILA, Philippines - Several former political detainees and members of group Selda on Tuesday marched to Don Chino Roces Bridge (formerly Mendiola Bridge) to reiterate their call on President Benigno Aquino III to immediately appoint the members of the Human Rights Claims Board.
Selda members also assailed the continued inaction of the Aquino administration in implementing the Human Rights Victims Recognition and Reparation Act of 2013 otherwise known as RA 10368.
President Aquino signed the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013 into law in February, in time for the 27th anniversary of EDSA People Power 1 revolution.
"To date, after almost seven months, the law has not been implemented because since its signing, President Noynoy Aquino has not appointed members of the Human Rights Claims Board as stipulated in the law... without the Human Rights Victims Claims Board and its implementing rules and regulations, the law becomes inutile," Selda chairperson Marie Hilao-Enriquez said.
The board shall process, evaluate and approve application for claims of reparation and recognition as formulate the the Implementing Rules and Regulations.
"We are afraid that one reason why President Aquino is taking his own sweet time to form the Board is for him to exclude Selda nominees from being members of the Board. We in Selda also hope that Palace officials have not dipped their fingers into the P10-billion fund for victims’ reparation, and would not go the way of the scandalous pork barrel system," the group added.