Lawmakers' support gives CHR hope for bigger 2023 budget
MANILA, Philippines — Several lawmakers from the House of Representatives asked their colleagues to increase the budget of the Commission on Human Rights for next year to help the agency with its work of investigating abuses and of promoting human rights.
CHR requested a budget of P1.646 billion to fund its programs next year but the Department of Budget and Management only allotted P846.38 million under the National Expenditure Program submitted to Congress.
The amount was 12.27% lower than the P964.7 million for the commission's budget this year.
CHR executive director Jacqueline de Guia told lawmakers Thursday that it is very crucial that the commission’s budget for maintenance and other operating expenses is maintained at the current level, if not increased. From P368.2 million in 2022, the allocation for MOOE in the proposed budget has been slashed to P305.9 million.
The DBM did not allot funds for the commission’s capital outlay, which refers to appropriations spent for the purchase of goods and services.
"We look kindly [to] Congress to make sure that our services in terms of protection, prevention, and policy are strengthened and continued during fiscal year 2023," de Guia said.
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Rep. Jocelyn Sy-Limkaichong (Negros Oriental), sponsor for the CHR budget in the plenary debates, appealed to her fellow lawmakers to increase the budget of the country’s human rights institution.
"What we want is not just to restore the budget, but to increase it to its original budget," she said, noting the proposed funding for CHR will hurt the enhanced initiatives of the commission, including its Human Rights Institute and program for climate change.
The decreased budget may also affect the accreditation status of the CHR. The commission is an "A" accredited national human rights institution, fully complying with the Paris Principle adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1995.
"A larger sum of funds would enable them to expand and cover a greater number of vulnerable and underserved people, those who are victims of abuses by state and non-state actors. Their role as an independent agency acting as check and balance and policy adviser to the government is relevant today as it has been in previous years," Sy-Limkaichong added.
Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Cagayan de Oro City) also supported an increase in CHR’s budget.
"CHR is always neglected. It’s not being given the proper tools to implement its mandate in the Constitution," Rodriguez said.
"Never shall we compromise on human rights, because that will define us as a people. Our authorities should always respect human rights," he added.
Other lawmakers who expressed support for a bigger CHR budget were Rep. Raoul Manuel (Kabataan Party-list), Rep. France Castro (ACT Teachers Party-list), Rep. Arlene Brosas (Gabriela), and Rep. Edcel Lagman (Albay).
The House of Representatives in 2017 voted to give the CHR an annual budget of P1,000 over lawmakers' complaints that it was focused on rights abuses by state security personnel only. The incredible budget cut was later reversed.
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