Dispatch from Crame No. 1199:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima On Duterte's Veto on the Establishment of Human Rights Institute

1/5/22

Duterte ended his term the way he started it: with disdain and disregard for human rights in our country.

When he started his term, he had his allies in Congress attempt to defund the Commission on Human Rights (CHR). Now, he tries to undo a human rights-related initiative agreed on by both chambers of Congress that he had no control over.

For Duterte to veto even a harmless provision in the General Appropriations Act shows his "allergy" for everything remotely related to the promotion of human rights.

The Human Rights Institute is an office created by the CHR in furtherance of its mandate to make human rights education more accessible to the people at no additional/separate cost to the government. It merely seeks to organize existing efforts to make them more effective and efficient.

The CHR is a constitutional body and enjoys autonomy from the Office of the President. Mr. Duterte is reminded that he has no business telling CHR how to do their job, let alone tries at every turn to weaken this crucial institution.

His last veto message does nothing except betray his anti-human rights mindset.

Kung hindi para sa kapakanan niya at ng mga alipores niya, balewala ang karapatang-pantao.

Para sa trying-hard maging diktador, sila lang ang may karapatan. Hindi na ako magugulat pag maging bukambibig niya ang "human rights" sa kanyang pagmumura pag umusad na ang mga kaso laban sa kaniya ng mga biktima ng mga pang-aabuso ng kaniyang rehimen. ###

(Access the handwritten version, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_1199)