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Duterte's veto of the Human Rights Institute in the national budget for 2022 has upset CHR.

Writer's picture: KRISTINE DORINGOKRISTINE DORINGO

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expressed disappointment on Tuesday with President Rodrigo Duterte's decision to veto the creation of a Human Rights Institute (HRI) in the proposed national budget for 2022. According to CHR, the intended establishment of the HRI would have been a critical step in the country's development of human rights education. The HRI, according to CHR Commissioner Karen Gomez-Dumpit, is an initiative that would help the Commission to fulfill its duty of human rights research and dissemination, which is inscribed in the 1987 Constitution. Duterte vetoed five budget items before putting the national spending plan for 2022 into law, including the one establishing the HRI. Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11639, or the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2022, on December 30, 2021, the projected P5.024 trillion national budgets for this year. Gomez-Dumpit said "[CHR] is saddened by the President's direct veto of the item in the [GAA] Act for 2022 that seeks to help establish the [HRI]—a flagship program of the CHR that was launched during the 2021 Human Rights Day—to better carry out its mandate under the 1987 Constitution, 'to establish a continuing program of human rights research, education, and information to enhance respect for the primacy of human rights.” "The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights respectfully maintains that this item appropriation is for the discharge of its constitutional mandate," she added. The CHR official went on to say that the establishment of the HRI, which was announced by the Commission during the celebration of International Human Rights Day in December, would have ensured that critical human rights education and materials are made available to the public so that they are aware of their rights and the government's obligations. "The establishment of a Human Rights Institute is a long-standing vision of previous and current commissions in ensuring critical human rights education is made available to the people and for government personnel to better understand their role as primary duty-bearers in fulfilling human rights obligations to faithfully comply with human rights standards and principles," Gomez-Dumpit said. "In terms of historical revisionism, the HRI was envisioned to fight revisionism and provide a gateway for robust human rights education programs with other government institutions," she added. Duterte stated in his veto message that the establishment of offices should be subject to a thorough review. He also stated that no funding had been appropriated for the office, despite the fact that the CHR stated that they would use existing resources to support it. "The establishment of an institute, like the establishment of other offices, should be subject to a comprehensive review of the mandate, mission, objectives and functions, systems and procedures, and programs, activities, and projects, as well as the corresponding structural, functional, and operational adjustments in an organization, including the necessary staffing and funding requirements," Duterte writes in his veto message. Aside from the HRI veto, CHR expressed disappointment in the removal of the Department of Transportation's (DOTr) Gender Responsive Restroom Program, which the Commission considers a "key gender and human rights item," from the national budget for 2022. "All government agencies are required to use gender mainstreaming as a strategy to promote women's human rights and eliminate gender inequality under the Magna Carta of Women or Republic Act No. 9710. This entails conducting gender analyses in order to pursue programs, activities, and projects that respond to the agency's identified gender issues," Gomez-Dumpit explained in a separate statement. "The DOTr's mandate includes providing transportation services that are fast, safe, efficient, and dependable." Gender-inclusive restrooms comply with Republic Act No. 11313, also known as the Safe Spaces Act, in addition to the Magna Carta of Women. This appropriation item was intended to address a specific gender and human rights issue—it was intended to recognize the diversity of DOTr clients and ensure safe access to essential facilities without discrimination.” She added. Despite the vetoes, Gomez-Dumpit stated that CHR will continue to work with various government offices such as Congress and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to ensure that their programs are included in the next budget iterations. "Despite the direct veto, we at CHR are grateful to our legislators for including this item in the proposed General Appropriation Bill. In light of this development, the CHR will continue to pursue this initiative through further discussions with the Department of Budget and Management and Congress for proposed legislation, and/or other modalities where educational institutes have been established by other constitutional bodies, such as the Supreme Court." "While the President's veto is disappointing, we see it as an opportunity to go forward." "We will continue to pound the walls of impunity in order to get the message of human rights across to our people," she continued.

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