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By Ira Karen Apanay Senior
Reporter
The third set of officers of the
Commission on Human Rights ended their seven-year term on Monday
without successors, leaving the commission in the hands of a
caretaker.
Executive Secretary Eduardo
Ermita on Monday said the members have designated Commission
Executive Director Jacqueline Mejia as officer-in-charge.
“The commissioners decided to
designate the executive director here as officer-in-charge to be
able to act on administrative matters, but, in due time, the
appointment of the five commissioners will be forthcoming,” Ermita
added.
He said he cannot tell when the
next set of officers will be coming in. He added that the
requirement states that two of the commissioners should be lawyers
and the rest may be non-lawyers.
A search committee has submitted
a shortlist to President Gloria Arroyo. Ermita said the appointees
may be named “within the month [May], but probably within a week
or so.”
The five members of the incumbent
commission are Chairman Purificacion Quisumbing and Commissioners
Quintin Cueto 3rd, Dominador Calamba 2nd, Eligio Mallari, and
Wilhelm Soriano.
During their seven years in the
commission, the members created special courts to try rights
violations and conducted independent investigations and public
hearings on extrajudicial killings.
Govt report card
The three branches of the
government received a rating of 7 on a scale of 1 to 10 on the issue
of human rights from the commission, but Quisumbing gave the same
rating for the performance of the outgoing officers, including
herself.
“There is much more to be done.
But for the other aspects of human rights, I think the government
has done well, let us say women’s rights, but [not] for the
disadvantaged women, which we are working on,” Quisumbing said.
She noted that Congress has not
passed an anti-torture law and a law against enforced
disappearances.
The commission also lobbied
Congress for the passage of bills relating to National Human Rights
Consciousness Week, Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act and Juvenile
Justice and Welfare Act.
Quisumbing said the commission
“has limited fiscal autonomy,” which is a threat to its
independence.
Retirement pay
A former chairman of the
commission, Judge Aurora Recima, has revealed that the outgoing
officers withheld her retirement pay and benefits, and those of
seven other employees.
--With Christine Placino
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