Courtesy: Office of Akbayan Rep Chel Diokno
AKBAYAN Partylist Rep. Chel Diokno has raised concern over the absence of funding under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for the Commission on Human Rights’ (CHR) mandates under special human rights laws, including the Anti-Torture Law and the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Law.
Diokno expressed dismay after CHR chairperson Richard Palpal-latoc revealed during the Committee on Appropriations briefing that while several special laws grant additional mandates to the CHR, there are no corresponding budget allocations for their implementation under the proposed 2026 NEP, except for about ₱2 million earmarked for gender programs under the Magna Carta of Women.
“In other words, for the implementation, for example…(of) the anti-torture law and the anti-enforced disappearance, there’s nothing in the NEP,” Diokno told Palpal-latoc.
“It’s good that we learned that because hopefully we can do something about it,” added Diokno, also a veteran human rights lawyer.
Diokno emphasized that addressing this issue is crucial—not just for balancing numbers, but to enable the commssion to fulfill it’s mandate and deliver on its promises to the Filipino people.
The Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department previously reported that at least 200 laws passed between 1991 and 2023 either remain unfunded or have inadequate funding.
Diokno also pressed the CHR to use its subpoena powers to obtain documents from the Philippine National Police (PNP) that can help fast-track its investigation into the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the past administration.
“Have you not exercised your subpoena powers to get the reports? Because for those cases you do not need witnesses. The police reports themselves contain admissions of who committed the killing under what circumstances allegedly. Nanlaban daw. That is sufficient to at least conduct the investigation and come up with conclusions,” he pointed out.
Palpal-latoc, for his part, said the CHR probe into the 4,000 EJK cases is ongoing but committed to come up with an initial report on about 400 cases by November.
In a previous House investigation, Diokno informed the QuadComm that 20,322 deaths were recorded in the first 17 months of the drug war and an estimated total body count of over 30,000.
