MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III yesterday prodded members of the Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board (HRVB) to speed up the processing of compensation for human rights victims as they only have until May to complete their work.
The HRVB had asked Congress to extend its life so that it could finish its work of granting compensation to some 70,000 victims of human rights violations during the martial law regime.
“We granted their (HRVB) request to extend their term so they must work double time, triple time so they could finish their mandate,” Pimentel said.
“Finishing the work would mean the end of your job but you knew that when you joined that entity, it has a fixed life term. Do your job for the good of all the 70,000 claimants,” he said.
The HRVB is an independent and quasi-judicial body that has the sole and original jurisdiction to determine the eligibility of claims, extent of human rights violations and award of reparations.
It was formed in February 2014 pursuant to law and has a two-year lifespan.
Pimentel praised Duterte for issuing an order to immediately release the initial compensation to martial law victims.
Pimentel, the son of martial law victim and former Senate president Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., said the move showed Duterte’s compassion for victims of injustice.
The order was issued during a meeting with members of the Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto or SELDA, an organization of political prisoners and former political detainees.