Lorenzana backs Duterte’s plan to abolish Commission on Human Rights

July 25, 2017

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Tuesday he expressed support, like Philippine National Police Director General Ronald Dela Rosa,  to President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to abolish the Commission on Human Rights (CHR). “But on the whole actually I agree with (Dela Rosa) , Maybe it is not needed...when we took our oath of office the most important part of our oath is to defend and protect the constitution of the Philippines. What is the most important part of the Constitution is the Bill of Rights. It says no person should be deprived of  life, liberty or property without due process. You just have to follow maybe you don’t need human rights,” he told reporters in the sidelines of a business forum. During his second State of the Nation Address last Monday, Duterte said the CHR office “are better abolished.” Lorenzana also emphasized the disadvantages of having the Commission on Human Rights. “If you can remember, during the time of Cory (Aquino), before that there.. was no human rights commission. Maybe CHR was the offshoot of the alleged abuses during the Marcos martial law regime that is why human rights (commission) was created,” he said. “Well there are practical reasons or advantage of the CHR, and I think there are also a lot of disadvantages,” said Lorenzana. “Sometimes people are prevented from doing their job because they are so afraid of the consequences of their human rights commission actions, and before we will be promoted (in military) to the next higher rank at we have to go to the human rights commission to get clearance from them that we are not violators of human rights,” Lorenzana added. Lorenzana said the military has a strict justice system to monitor and punish possible human rights violators. “The military justice system of the Armed Forces is so strict. We have what we call the military justice system. It is very strict; all commanders are empowered… so if all commanders will just enforce discipline and order in their units there will be no human rights violation,” he said. (Robina Asido/DMS)