Gascon: Destabilization not CHR's cup of tea

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights is not in the business of destabilizing the government, Rights chief Chito Gascon said Wednesday amid attacks on the constitutional body for criticizing the mounting killings in the Duterte administration’s deadly drug war.

“Hindi po tayo nasa larangan ng pamumulitika. 'Di po tayo nasa larangan ng destabilization. Tayo po ay nasa larangan ng rule of law. Tayo po ay nasa larangan ng justice,” Gascon said in a speech at a forum organized by the Constitutional Fiscal Autonomy Group.

(We’re not into politics. We’re not into destabilization. We’re into rule of law. We’re into justice.)

“Ang panawagan natin sa lahat ay gawin lamang ang sangayon sa batas gawin lamang ang sangayon sa ating konstitusyon,” he added.

(Our plea to all is just do what’s allowed by the law and our constitution.)

To note, security officials had repeatedly said they had not monitored any destabilization plots against the current government.

President Rodrigo Duterte is facing strong criticisms from human rights watchdogs for his war on drugs that has killed thousands of suspected drug traffickers in police operations.

But Duterte has rejected allegations that cops are summarily executing suspected users and dealers while most Filipinos back the brutal crackdown.

Duterte earlier described Gascon as a “pedophile” because of the CHR chief’s focus on the killing of teenagers in the government’s bloody war on drugs that sparked rare street protests.

The firebrand leader had also accused Gascon of being a spokesman for the opposition and criticized his scrutiny of police anti-drug drive.

“Ang mga naitakdang karapatang pantao ay 'syang gagamitin natin para siguraduhin na matigil na ang extrajudicial killings, ang torture and forced disappearances at arbitrary detentions sapagkat lahat ng ito ay pinagbabawal ng ating saligang batas,” Gascon said.

(We will use human rights guaranteed by the constitution to stop extrajudicial killings, torture and forced disappearances as well as arbitrary detentions because these are prohibited under the law.)

“We extend our hand of solidarity to our CFAG colleagues as well as to the other servants in government in the executive and the legislative department. Please look at us as institutions that are supposed to guarantee that our democracy will strive,” he added.

Last September, the House of Representatives, which is dominated by Duterte’s allies, favored the move to slash the budget of the CHR to a thousand pesos from the Department of Budget's proposed P678 million.

The rights commission’s budget was later restored after lawmakers were criticized for their attempt to cut the body’s funding.

The CHR, as a constitutional body, enjoys fiscal autonomy and cannot be defunded or be given a budget of only a peso, a way for some lawmakers to punish some government agencies.

In August, Duterte said security forces should shoot CHR personnel if they are found to be obstructing justice. This was after his threat to abolish the body, a remark later dismissed as a “joke.”