CHR: No new claim applications for martial law victims

MANILA, Philippines — There will be no new claim applications for victims of human rights violations during the martial law period, according to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).

The CHR reiterated its announcement to human rights victims in time with the third round of distribution of checks to members of the successful $2-billion class suit filed against the Marcos family in Hawaii in the 1990s.

American human rights lawyer Robert Swift said an estimated 6,500 human rights victims will each receive $1,500 or around P78,000 in the new round of distribution, which began in Butuan City last Wednesday.

He said the number of eligible claimants went down from the almost 10,000 original members of the claim, noting that some failed to submit the necessary documents required by the US court.

The ongoing distribution, which is related to the Hawaii class suit, is different from the Philippine government’s previous efforts to compensate the victims through the now-defunct Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board (HRVCB).

In its advisory, the CHR said the recent joint resolution approved by President Duterte, which extended the validity of HRVCB funds, does not open a new round of claim applications for victims.

It said the joint resolution only refers to the processing of unclaimed checks that went stale after the HRVCB ceased to exist last year.

Almost 200 checks worth P134 million went stale due to varying reasons, including failure to give prior advice on the death of claimants and inability to comply with the process of extrajudicial settlement of estate.

A total of 11,103 claims were approved by the HRVCB, allotting P10 billion sourced from recovered ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses.

The commission warned against individuals taking advantage of human rights victims, saying there are those who attempt to distort the truth and abuse those who are not familiar with the joint resolution.