Making It Fun in the Philippines

  Well, Happy Human Rights Day, today, right? I was thinking about how the late Chito Gascon really wasn't the best for the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and neither were Etta Rosales and Liela Dilemma. It would be best to review the constitutional mandate of the CHR  first which are as follows: Investigate,  on its own  or on a complaint by any party,  all forms of human rights violations  involving civil and political rights; Adopt its operational guidelines and rules of procedure, and cite for contempt for violations thereof in accordance with the Rules of Court; Provide appropriate legal measures  for the protection of human rights of all persons  within the Philippines, as well as Filipinos residing abroad, and provide for preventive measures and legal aid services to the underprivileged whose human rights have been violated or need protection; Exercise visitorial powers over jails, prisons, or detention facilities; Establish a continuing ...

The recent incident involving Joel Nuezca's shooting incident may have triggered the Philippines' own version of "Black Lives Matter". The death of George Floyd was anything but heroic. Police brutality existed but the solution has NEVER been to defund the police. The moment that Nuezca pulled his trigger, showed his child a bad example, and killed parent and child - he should forfeit his title as a policeman and be demoted to the status of criminal . Any police officer who breaks the law should be apprehended and treated as a criminal. The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is given its mandate to investigate ALL forms of human rights violations. This is no exception and the CHR should really consider this a huge blot at the failure of a police officer. This is the kind of police officer CHR should raise a flag as a human rights violator. Police officers are supposed to uphold human rights and defend public safety. Unfortunately, Nuezca did neither with what he just di...

I don't have any problem with the establishment of the Commission of Human Rights (CHR). We can consider it was established because of the list of human rights violations that were done during the Marcos Years. Now, consider the real functions of the CHR  as a government agency. It's meant to monitor and investigate ALL forms of human rights violations. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the CHR under Chito Gascon. Abolish CHR? Nope, I'd say fire Gascon  away from his post. If anything, he should be allowed to be Antonio Trillanes IV's lawyer instead . If anything, the CHR seal of approval here is better said as "Gascon Approved: OK Sa Kanyang Standard!". Just because any company doesn't get the CHR "seal of approval" doesn't mean that the company isn't compliant with human rights. Don't tell me companies without Gascon's seal of approval in raising funds for the Legacy Virus outbreak are automatically "human righ...

The Commission on Human Rights  itself has its duties and civilians must know them. There's nowhere in its provision that will only act against state agents. Its first duty is to investigate all forms of human rights violations. A human rights violation isn't necessarily done by a state agent. Yet why does Gascon insist that CHR is only meant to investigate state agents? A good point to raise is that policemen who break the law should no longer be considered policemen but as criminals. True, government hearings should be done for state agents though CHR should still take part in investigating and documenting human rights violations done by civilians.  Now it's time to address yet another inconsistency of the current CHR Chairperson Chito Gascon. Gascon would try to weasel himself out by saying that an act of crime and a human rights violation are two different things. Gascon himself even says that CHR is supposed to only investigate state agents. Yet, why does he ...

The solution isn't really to #AbolishCHR because the real problem is not the Commission on Human Rights itself but CHITO GASCON . Now that the Philippines is out of the International Clown Court -- I think it's time to actually take out the trash inside the CHR itself . Gascon was even whining about how the Philippines has supposedly "made a serious mistake" by withdrawing from ICC. Here's what GMA-News reveals on what Gascon said about the withdrawal: In his texted statement, Gascon said: "The government is grossly mistaken in believing that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over events in this country." "What it must do is to show that it is willing & able to bring all perpetrators of human rights violations to justice," he added. How can Gascon can bother to talk about justice and perpetrators of human rights when he only makes excuses? Let's see where his credibility stands to become the head of CHR to start with? He says...

Here's a picture I found around five years ago that brought me back to this recent tragedy of the late Christine Lee Silawan. The guy above has the nerve to take a selfie NEAR THE DECEASED and he's even smiling. It's an utter lack of respect if you ask me. Now, it turns out that Christine's mutilated corpse has been passed around and made fun of  -- something that the family of the deceased has EVERY RIGHT to demand to stop. Yet, I doubt it that it will just stop that easily considering their financial condition. In tragedies there are opportunities but not all of the latter are good. Most of them in fact can be very bad. Who can remember the death of Kian Loyd Delos Santos last 2017 ? I remembered how the tragedy was turned into an opportunity by rallyists such as Migraine International and Anak Bayad. The lad was a victim of extrajudicial killing but how sure are the rallyists it was state-sponsored?! I really stopped watching the news because the headlines were fo...

This is really something when I think about how the Commission of Human Rights under the idiocy of people like Leila De Lima, Etta Rosales and currently Chito Gascon  would react. The problem isn't the CHR but it's when stupid people run it. Now it's time to wonder why is CHR silent AGAIN concerning the death of rape-slay victims and not just the most recent one of teenager Christine Silawan? Was it because it's not done by state agents? Then again why did Gascon say "We only deal with state agents!" yet he ends up jumping to Antonio Trillanes IV's defense regarding said invalid amnesty -- wasn't it that Trillanes was a STATE AGENT (and he was a soldier that time) during the Manila Peninsula rebellion and Oakwood Mutiny incidents ? That's why I always want to suggest that Gascon should resign from CHR and be Trillanes' lawyer. There is NO mandate in the CHR that their only task is to prevent human rights abuses only by state agents. Sure,...

Chito Gascon obviously ignores the one basic fact about criminal law -- the rights of law-abiding citizens come first before the criminals! Although people shouldn't be stooping down on the level of Joaquin "Bullyit" Montes or wish him dead, that there should be due process and that said person has the right to be convicted as a minor -- but where is Gascon's priorities being placed? After his " eerie silence " now the Commission on Human Rights under Gascon has failed its mandate once again. Whose rights are more important? Bullyit or the victims of Bullyit himself? The CHR's mandate is to uphold all human rights and to investigate first and foremost the rights of law abiding citizens' right to a safe and secure society. Instead, Gascon seems to be more concerned about Bullyit's privacy instead of the human rights of students who were bullied by said person. Since when was a human rights department assigned to protect criminals over the victi...

Now here's where the Commission of Human Rights or rather Chito Gascon is failing again. Aside from their rather slow action towards  the death of Richard Y. Santillan  -- you have to admit that where is Gascon himself isn't even doing anything about the human rights of the victims of  Joaquin "Bullyit" Montes  or to those who are victims of school bullying. Isn't the right to education one of your human rights? So what's the use of having CHR to monitor human rights when they don't even do anything about the human rights of bullied victims? While I may no longer think CHR itself is a redundant function (though it needs to be redefined if ever) but the problem is once again Chito Gascon -- not the CHR ! He's always making excuses not to do his job which is why he deserves to be FIRED from his post because he's making CHR a waste of space because he's a waste of space. He's making one excuse after the other whether it's "CHR jus...

The event of the death of Atty. Glenn Chong's bodyguard the late Richard Y. Santillan was not a joke. Although I may not be a criminologist, forensics expert or lawyer (and I'm still waiting for updates of said event) -- I just want to do a simple analysis as a casual blogger concerning the death of Santillan and what could have really happened to him. This is going to be mostly speculative so I request my readers to read this post with a grain of salt because I don't claim to have the answers either. So what could have happened to Santillan from behind the scenes?  From Business Mirror -- here's what Atty. Chong himself has to say so let's hear his side of the story as well which I'll just give an excerpt:  According to Chong, the video footage showed there were patrol cars in front and at the back of Santillan’s car , contrary to the police spot report that his aide engaged lawmen in a shootout. “That’s against human nature kung alam mong may p...

Yesterday was Human Rights' Day and it's time to tackle on the Commission on Human Rights' existence and what was its original purpose . Its first and foremost mandate is to investigate on its own or complaint all forms of human rights violations. Yet as said organization evolved (or devolved) then it has shrunk to its weird logic that human rights violation can only be committed by state agents. That kind of logic is screwed up because any victim of crime regardless who does it is already considered a criminal. The real problem is not the CHR but Chito Gascon. Giving PHP 1,000.00 only to a government agency would bully those employees who do their job in spite of having a lazy chairperson. If Gascon is the problem then by all means -- fire him from his post! But the problem of the CHR's deterioration can be linked to the presidential system's one-sidedness without any real watchdog. So how would a parliamentary actually work in making sure that CHR does its j...

While I've changed my stance about abolishing the Commission on Human Rights but it doesn't mean I support its incumbent chairman Chito Gascon or his predecessors. So where in the mandate of CHR's existence is it that it should defend criminals? None!  Because if you read Law Phil Project -- you will find that there's NO mandate for CHR to defend criminals from justice. Here are the basic rules of what CHR is supposed to do:  Investigate, on its own or on complaint by any party, all forms of human rights violations involving civil and political rights; Adopt its operational guidelines and rules of procedure, and cite for contempt for violations thereof in accordance with the Rules of Court; Provide appropriate legal measures for the protection of human rights of all persons within the Philippines, as well as Filipinos residing abroad, and provide for preventive measures and legal aid services to the under-privileged whose human rights have been violated or...

If there was any reason why I once wanted the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) abolished -- it's because of Etta Rosales' bad performance. But right now, the REAL problem is not the CHR itself but having useless people such as herself, Leila De Lima and currently Chito Gascon  run it. It's a waste of taxpayers' money when government agencies don't do their job. Just right now -- I feel the need to lambast Rosales' stupidity and selective justice. True, if Imelda Romualdez-Marcos is really guilty of the seven out of ten graft cases where one uses political positions for personal gains then so be it. Unfortunately, has Rosales ever considered OTHER human rights violations? The problem of the whole Aquino vs. Marcos narrative (and false dichotomy) is hiding the atrocities done by both sides. I don't want to deny that some martial law victims are indeed martial law victims. Yet, I was thinking that some people have learned to move on rather than to victimize ...

The logic of the Dilawans is indeed amazing in so many levels. Now, one of the Dilawans' most die hard supporters #SilentNoMore is now using more fear-mongering by saying that police uniforms are now the most frightening costumes ever? I want to think about the screwed logic behind #SilentNoMore with their whole "you must fear the cops now". This is already suggesting that it's better to trust the criminals than the cops huh?  I could remember the whole reason why the Commission on Human Rights nearly got defunded. Although former house speaker Pantaleon Alvarez is an idiot -- however he's partly right in saying that Chito Gascon should ask budget from the criminals. Though the better way of dealing with it is FIRING Gascon from his post and telling him to look for jobs among criminals than the government. The CHR in its mandate was not meant to just go after state agents. Instead, it was supposed to help the government in the check and balance process. CHR...

The "filming" of A Dangerous Life 2 is still continuing, isn't it? I decided to write another short that would condemn the idiocy of those who claim to stand by the Commission of Human Rights (CHR) when they are only standing by idiots like Chito Gascon. It's more than time to really consider throwing Gascon's own statements at him. If he really said that the CHR is only tasked to investigate atrocities done by state agents (which is a lie ) then let's throw his own faulty argument back at him. Don't tell me that Antonio Trillanes IV's two failed mutinies where he led Filipino soldiers to destroy a civilian government were not acts of atrocities done by GOVERNMENT AGENTS? It's amazing how Gascon loves to use the excuse that his job as CHR Chairperson is to only investigate atrocities done by government agents. Yet how many cases did he end up left in pending status? A good example is how he refuses to even participate in the investigation of th...

It's really something to consider that maybe those who claim to defend the Commission on Human Rights or CHR aren't actually defending it. It can be observed not everyone who berates Chito Gascon's lack of performance is in favor of getting rid of said government agency. Now it's time for some common sense to what CHR really is and what its purpose really is all about. As said, you want to know what caused CHR to deteriorate? It's the likes of Leila De Lima, Etta Rosales and Gascon that have caused CHR to become useless -- not the existence of said organization! What are the real functions of the CHR? Here's what the Law Phil Project says about CHR's functions and let's see how many of these did De Lima, Rosales and Gascon bother to do properly: Investigate, on its own or on complaint by any party, all forms of human rights violations involving civil and political rights; Adopt its operational guidelines and rules of procedure, and cite for cont...

Will somebody please shove the rules of what the Commission of Human Rights (CHR) is supposed to do on his face? Having an idiot like Chito Gascon in the CHR is an absolute liability for this reason -- he doesn't even do the job that CHR is required to do. It was meant to investigate all forms of human rights violations whether political rights or civil rights! It wasn't originally meant to operate to only go against state agents who as broken the law such as policemen who abuse their authority . It was supposed to investigate all forms of human rights violation regardless who does it. Besides, don't tell me Oakwood Mutiny and Manila Peninsula Siege were not acts of atrocities done by state agents? Right now, he even says he wants to make sure that he will save Trillanes from President Duterte's hands. He's better off acting as Trillanes' legal counsel than serving as the CHR chairman. He should just resign from CHR and serve as Trillanes' lawyer in c...

This just in, the Philippine Star has finally revealed something that should also be a ground to remove Chito Gascon from his position as chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights: MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Audit (COA) has called the attention of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) over its supposedly expensive seminars and similar training activities held in various hotels last year. In a 2017 report released recently, state auditors said the agency “could have minimized the incurrence of substantial amount of training expenses totaling P5,404,543.80 ” if only the same were held within office premises or other government facilities . The COA report said the CHR could have also saved money on the 20 seminars or workshops it held if it decided to conduct the same on a live-out basis instead of having participants booked in hotels. State auditors noted that Section 2 of Presidential Decree 1445 or the Government Auditing Code of the Philippines provides that it i...

Did Etta Rosales forget about the incident where two foreigners -- namely a Dutch Communist activist named Thomas Van Beersum and Canadian woman Kim Chatillon-Meunier were both arrested for participating in an anti-Aquino rally? So I guess in her logic that it's okay to deport foreigners who meddle in the affairs of the Dilawans while it's not okay to do so when they attack President Duterte? Hmmm... I would like to commend the Aquino administration for actually having some brain in locking up, deporting and blacklisting those two who were helping those idiotic activists. Foreigners have their freedom to speech to give their opinions and criticism concerning other countries but not to act like they're experts of the world. China has the right to criticize the Philippines for not going after drug dealers (and they have a strong anti-drug policy) while Filipinos have the right to criticize the incumbent Chinese government for bullying its neighboring countries. I have my ...

Etta Rosales' latest comments make no surprise and I found this one from ABiaS-CBN , here's what it says about her latest activity and yes, the network is most likely in her favor rather than hear the other side to why the deportation happened: Speaking to ANC, Rosales stressed this move by the Bureau of Immigration is an act of cowardice and paranoia. She reminded the agency that it is mandated to respect human rights. "It's an act of cowardice. It smacks of paranoia. They're criminalizing criticism," she said. Last Sunday, European Socialist Party official Giacomo Filibeck who was supposed to attend the Anakbayan Party-list Congress in Cebu was deported. The bureau said Filibeck showed "disrespect" when he denounced the killings linked to President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war in his 2017 Manila visit. This is the problem with Rosales herself. She's already making a lot of delusional stories. I'd like to ask her if criticism has ...