Commission on Human Rights Chairman Chito Gascon responds to questions of reporters on the sidelines of the indignation run for the 1,000th day of 鈥渦njust detention鈥� of Senator Leila de Lima on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, at CHR grounds in Quezon City. Gascon said it is up to the public to judge whether or not Senator Ronaldo 鈥淏ato鈥� dela Rosa will be the 鈥渕ost effective鈥� head of CHR. Photo by Darryl Esguerra/黑料社
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Whether Senator Ronald 鈥淏ato鈥� Dela Rosa can be the 鈥渕ost effective鈥� head of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is for the public to determine.
CHR chair Chito Gascon said this on Wednesday after the neophyte senator said he can get the job done at the commission should he be given the chance to do so.
Gascon stressed that the CHR is a 鈥渘on-partisan Constitutional office鈥� and that its head should always protect its independence.
Dela Rosa ran and won under President Rodrigo Duterte鈥檚 PDP-Laban party. He also served as the President鈥檚 first police chief when Duterte assumed office in 2016.
鈥淪o sinuman鈥� dapat panindigan itong international standard na naitalaga ng UN or ang tinatawag na Paris Principle ng sinumang uupo sa Komisyon ng Karapatang Pantao,鈥� Gascon told reporters.
(Whoever will be appointed as CHR head should stand by the international standard set by the UN or the so-called Paris Principle.)
鈥淜ung kayang gampanan ito ni Sen. Bato, eh ang publiko na po ang magpapasya,鈥� he added.
(Whether Sen. Bato can do that is for the public to decide.)
During the Senate deliberation on the proposed 2020 budget of CHR on Monday, Senator Panfilo Lacson, who is tasked to defend the body鈥檚 budget, suggested in jest that Dela Rosa should be appointed as the next chair of the government鈥檚 rights body.
Dela Rosa, who headed Duterte鈥檚 brutal war on drugs, said he could be the 鈥渕ost effective鈥� chair of CHR as he empathized with heinous crimes convicts, who were excluded from the Good Conduct Time Allowance law (GCTA).
鈥淚 am for the death penalty but if there is still no death penalty and heinous crime convicts are really reformed, by all means, they should be given a second chance at life because I saw how they reform themselves. If you have not seen it, I did. I have had enough experience,鈥� Dela Rosa said.Prior to his election as senator, Dela Rosa served as Bureau of Corrections chief after retiring as Philippine National Police chief.
Gascon nonetheless thanked the Senate for approving his commission鈥檚 2020 budget.
He also thanked Dela Rosa for his inputs and call for more government support to CHR.