CHR may get ‘zero budget’ from Senate
The Senate deliberation on the P934-million proposed budget of the Commission on Human Rights was put on hold after its executive director, lawyer Jacqueline de Guia, allegedly supported the decriminalization of abortion in the country.
In an interview with reporters on Wednesday, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, who was supposed to sponsor and defend the CHR’s budget, said he is still waiting for the human rights body’s issuance of a “strong stand against abortion.”
In a Senate hearing on Tuesday evening, Estrada made the motion to defer the deliberation on the commission’s budget after Senator Alan Peter Cayetano brought up the talks on abortion.
“May I know if this is true and what is the context of this? Is this an official CHR recommendation? Is it the recommendation of the Executive Director or is it a misquote?” Cayetano asked Estrada.
In response, Estrada said De Guia confirmed that she gave the statement during the Aquino administration.
“Personally, I am against abortion. I am a devout Catholic and it is against the teachings of the church. It is penalized under existing laws and if ever the CHR is in favor of it, I will be the first one to oppose or go against them,” he said.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, meanwhile, agreed to Estrada’s remarks saying he is “vehemently against abortion at any stake.”
It was then backed by Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva also expressed disapproval of decriminalizing abortion.
Asked if it is possible for CHR to get a ‘zero budget’ due to lack of deliberation, Estrada said: “That’s possible, why not? If they will not give me or the Senate a clear stand on abortion or against abortion then I’ll have to talk to my colleagues to give them a zero budget.”
Noting that everything is possible in a Bicameral meeting, Estrada said he still considering giving the body a fund they can utilize for personal services.
Estrada confirmed that the majority of the Senate called for the same concern.
“Yes. Because I consulted with my colleagues. We do have different religious beliefs. We have Muslims, we have Catholics, we have Christians, we have Protestants that are members of the Senate. And all of us agreed and all of us are one in condemning abortion,” he said.
Citing the existing anti-abortion law in the Philippines, Estrada said De Guia should resign if she wants to continue standing on decriminalization of abortion.
He stressed that De Guia cannot make any statement on her own, especially remarks that would oppose the CHR’s push on the right to life.
“When she said that, she was speaking on behalf of the Commission, she was not uttering it only on her behalf. She was the spokesperson of the CHR during that time of Aquino administration,” Estrada pointed out.
“If she’s still connected with the CHR, she does not have the right to talk about the decriminalization of abortion or spousing abortion because she knows that it is illegal in our country,” he continued.
The Republic Act 3815 of the Revised Penal Code states that “any person who shall intentionally cause an abortion shall suffer the penalty of reclusión temporal—if he shall use any violence upon the person of the pregnant woman as well as the penalty of prisión mayor-if, without using violence, he shall act without the consent of the woman.”