Amid P900-M shortfall, lawmakers push to increase CHR budget

MANILA, Philippines — Several House lawmakers said they would move to augment the Commission on Human Rights’ (CHR) budget after the executive allocated just P1.24 billion, leaving a P900-million shortfall for its operations and legal aid programs.

While the proposed budget under the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP) is slightly higher than what the commission received in 2025, CHR Chair Richard Palpal-latoc told the House appropriations panel it remains insufficient to serve the many victims of human rights violations seeking assistance.

The executive branch proposed P610.5 million for the commission’s personnel services, P482 million for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), and P152.16 million for capital outlay.

The CHR, however, proposed a P2.19 billion budget for 2026.  

At the budget briefing on Tuesday, August 26, the CHR presented its top 10 funding priorities, seeking an additional P344.85 million to support these programs.

Palpal-latoc said the commission is also planning to develop a human rights early warning system as part of its mechanism to protect human rights defenders. 

However, the NEP has only earmarked a budget for three specific programs: the Human Rights Protection Program, Human Rights Promotion Program and Human Rights Policy Advisory Program. 

No budget for many special laws

The CHR is mandated under more than 10 special laws to investigate human rights violations and establish mechanisms to address complaints. These include cases related to humanitarian law, children, women, health care, HIV and AIDS, armed conflict, torture and juveniles. 

The national budget, however, does not provide specific allocations for the commission to carry out these duties, which Rep. Chel Diokno (Akbayan Party-list) questioned.

“You have the Anti-Enforced Disappearance Law, the Anti-Torture Law, among others. How much… of the NEP is being allocated towards the implementation of these special human rights laws?” he asked.

“Actually... we have been asking Congress for this matter since we assumed office. There are several special laws granting additional mandate to the Commission on Human Rights, but there are no corresponding budget allocation for this,” Palpal-latoc answered.   

The chair said only a P2-million budget under the Magna Carta of Women was proposed in the NEP. “The rest, we have no provision for budget,” he added. 

“It's good that we learned that because hopefully we can do something about it,” Diokno said. 

Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Cagayan de Oro, 2nd District) and Rep. Bienvenido Abante (Manila, 6th District) expressed shock over the lack of funding for these laws, as well as for the construction and resources of the CHR’s central and regional offices nationwide.

“In the proper time, I will be moving for the approval of the CHR budget as presented by NEP plus the additional requirements as submitted by the CHR,” Rodriguez said. 

Although funds may not be enough to cover all 10 priorities, the lawmaker said the first three should at least be given the necessary allocation.

Rep. Salvador Pleyto (Bulacan, 6th District) also offered “his services” in the preparation and design of the CHR’s central office.   

Hundreds, thousands turn to CHR for help

Abante then asked Palpal-latoc how many victims or cases the CHR has been handling. The commission reported that it is dealing with 711 cases of human rights violations in the first half of 2025, while 455 individuals sought protective services.

Legal assistance requests were among the highest, with 1,625 individuals seeking such support from the CHR so far this year.

Abante said the lack of budget for such services explains why few victims come forward, particularly in cases of extrajudicial killings in the Duterte administrations’s bloody drug war, as many are impoverished and cannot afford legal assistance.

“That's the reason why kakaunti lang ang lumalabas. Kakaunti lang ang lumalabas ng mga victims of the extrajudicial killings. Number one, natatakot sila sa mga gumawa sa ating ibang kapulisan na hindi maganda ang ginawa,” he said. 

(That’s the reason why only a few come forward. Only a few of the victims of extrajudicial killings come out. First, they are afraid of members of the police who committed these wrongful acts.)

The CHR chair said the commission is holding ongoing investigations into around 4,000 EJK cases. The government has recorded some 7,000 victims from the drug war, while human rights groups place the death toll between 12,000 and 30,000.

“Pangalawa, wala silang pambayad ng mga abogado,” Abante added. 

(Second, they have no money to pay for lawyers.)

Palpal-latoc clarified that the figures he cited covered only protection services and did not include prevention efforts, such as legal assistance for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).

“I am making a motion now to increase the budget whatever the budget is needed,” Abante said. This is also not the first time the House has moved to hike the budget for human rights and allocate funds for special rights laws.

The House appropriations panel terminated the budget briefing for the CHR. Further deliberations and proposed amendments to the commission's budget will be taken up in the plenary.