Senator Manny Pacquiao, although a staunch ally of the Duterte administration, thinks that the Congress should restore the P678 million budget of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).

“I-restore natin. Para sa akin, pag-usapan ulit kasi ang lower house, gusto nila P1,000; dito naman sa Senate, P600 million — so pag-usapan na lang,” Pacquiao said in an ambush interview at the Senate on Wednesday.

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The boxer-turned-senator said maybe House lawmakers were only trying to send a message to the CHR for persistently attacking the administration’s policies.

“Siguro ang pinaparadam lang ng lower House sa tingin ko, syempre government ang nag-funding sa ‘yo tapos inaatake mo ‘yung sarili mong pamamahay,” Pacquiao said.

But asked if the CHR has been performing well as an agency, he said: “May sumusobra lang sa ginagawa nila. Minsan kasi may mga pangyayari na nabibintang agad doon sa ating administrasyon na wala namang kinalaman ‘yung mga gano’n.”

He also said the human rights body should not allow itself to be used by some politicians for dirty motives.

A total of 112 House lawmakers voted to cut the CHR’s budget from P678 million to P1,000. House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez slammed the CHR for protecting the rights of criminals, despite the agency having the mandate to monitor abuses by state agents.

But in the Senate, the finance committee approved the CHR’s proposed budget in full. /je

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