Incoming CHR chief targets cases of ‘desaparecidos’

MANILA, Philippines – A Palace spokesman on Tuesday said former Akbayan party-list representative Etta Rosales is determined to investigate cases of enforced disappearances in the country in her new capacity as chairwoman of the Commission on Human Rights.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Rosales’ appointment papers have yet to be released. President Benigno Aquino III earlier confirmed he is appointing Rosales as the new CHR chairwoman.

Rosales earlier said she will prioritize major human rights issues such as extrajudicial killings, involuntary disappearances and police brutality once she takes over the CHR.

“I will ensure that the commission under my stewardship will not be beholden to any politician or any group but only to the universal principles of human rights. I will only be impartial to the respect and recognition of human dignity,”  she said in a statement.

She added that she will take a leave of absence from Akbayan, a party that she thrice represented in the House of Representatives, once her appointment is made formal.

Aquino and Rosales were colleagues in the 11th Congress and were both active members of the House Committee on Civil, Political and Human Rights.

A staunch human rights defender, Rosales led 9,839 Marcos human rights victims who filed and won a class action suit in the US Hawaii District Court. In its decision, the court said the Marcoses are liable for  $1.9 billion exemplary and compensatory damages to the victims.

Karapatan secretary-general Marie-Hilao Enriquez earlier criticized Rosales for supporting a compromise settlement with the Marcoses and establishing a separate group of victims that would choose monetary settlement over justice for the entire class. –abs-cbnNEWS.com