THE fund drive for the Commission on Human Rights initiated by Artikulo 3, a group of human rights lawyers, has been swamped by pledges, with at least one individual pledging a personal donation of P100,000.”©
A total of 119 congressmen gave the CHR, which had a budget of more than P600 million this year, a 1,000-peso budget for next year over its criticism of President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on illegal drugs, which has killed thousands.
“We are thankful for the numerous queries and pledges received by Artikulo 3 from groups and individuals interested in donating to the CHR. One individual even pledged a personal donation of P100,000 for the agency,” Artikulo 3 president Hilda Clave said.
She refused to identify the generous donor.
But as the protests mounted after the House of Representatives approved a P1,000 budget for the CHR for 2018, social media went abuzz with reactions from celebrities and ordinary netizens who have initiated a fund-raising campaign for the agency.
Actress Agot Isidro, a vocal critic of Duterte, in her Twitter account lashed out at the 119 who approved the measure on Tuesday.
Isidro initially posted a photo of the House members with a hashtagged caption “#HouseOfRepresentaTHIEVES” in the evening of Sept. 12, the day the CHR budget was approved.
While he expressed his indignation, Dingdong Dantes praised the 32 congressmen who voted against the P1,000 budget.
Clave said her group was now finalizing the mechanics of its fund drive for the CHR.
“We intend to open an account in a private bank for donations, and the amount donated will be turned over to the CHR for its programs and operations,” she said.”©
“©Her group, whose member include former Vice President Jejomar Binay and former senator Rene Saguisag, earlier urged the public to join a fund drive for the embattled CHR. “©
“©They also slammed Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and the 119 congressmen who voted to allocate P1,000 for the agency, saying their action violated the Constitution since the”© agency was a constitutional body.”©
The majority of the House of Representatives voted 119-32 to reject the CHR’s proposed P649.484 million.
They instead complied with the wishes of Alvarez who earlier expressed his desire to give the commission a measly budget for being critical of the administration’s war on illegal drugs, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 13,000 suspected illegal drug dealers and users.
