Faults of isolated few don’t characterize the whole

As OIC executive director of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), I feel compelled to write a comment on Max M. de Mesa’s letter (“Stop corruption, human rights violations inside CHRP,” Opinion, 3/27/15), calling on relevant stakeholders to “come together to stop corruption and human rights violations in the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines.”

One cannot but notice the title of De Mesa’s piece, which essentially attributes the faults of an isolated few to the character of the whole. While it is true that one of our commissioners was removed owing to corrupt practices and that another is facing a complaint in the Office of the President, the fact remains that, on both occasions, the commission en banc has not been remiss in its duties as it has furnished the relevant authorities with copies of its decisions/resolutions on both cases.

Moreover, the commission has consistently held its officers to the standard required of an “A”-status national human rights institution. In fact, the commission is currently hearing and deciding cases against some of its regional directors. Thus, it is unfortunate that De Mesa chose to accuse the commission of “unprofessionalism, incompetence, favoritism” without first bringing any alleged incident to the attention of the commission. Instead, he chose to make general, and unsubstantiated, allegations in a broadsheet, some of which smack of malice.

Neither can De Mesa claim that he has no access to the CHR, as records show that he walks freely in and out of the chair’s office.

For the information of all concerned, the commission enjoys the support of international donor agencies, such as the Spanish Agency for International   Development Cooperation, United Nations Development Programme, and European Union-Philippines Justice Support Programme. It has been successful in securing funding for the construction of its building and the refleeting of its regional offices. In addition, its human rights advisories have been adopted by other agencies, such as the Department of Interior and Local Government; its Human Rights Action Centers and Rule of Law Program has seen the forging of memoranda of agreement (MOAs) between the CHR and the local governments of Quezon City, Legazpi City, and the town of La Trinidad, Benguet. MOAs on human rights education have likewise been signed with higher educational institutions such as Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Bicol University, and the Philippine Public Safety College, while human rights cooperation between the CHR and the security sector is embodied in the La Breza Declaration. The implementation of these agreements has been going on and augurs well for the strengthening of a culture of human rights in our beloved Philippines.

The CHR, however, expresses its appreciation to organizations such as the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates for the important role they play in the flowering of our restored democracy and in the defense of all human rights in the country.

—ANA ELZY E. OFRENEO,

OIC executive director,

Commission on Human Rights

of the Philippines