Cebu tops list of human rights cases

CEBU province has the most recorded cases of human rights violation in Central Visayas.

Out of 97 cases in the region this year, Cebu has 65 cases, said Leo Villarino, special investigator of the Commission on Human Rights in Central Visayas (CHR-7) during a forum yesterday.

Last year, 29 of the 46 reported cases in Central Visayas were from Cebu province.

One factor could be the lack of a CHR office in Bohol and Negros Oriental were individuals or groups can submit reports.

Villarino said the CHR-7 could not immediately attend to all cases filed in their offices because of lack of manpower. He said they have 10 investigators.

Representatives from the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), Armed Forces of the Philippines-Central Command (AFP-Centcom) attended the forum.

Jean Suarez of the human rights group Karapatan-Central Visayas challenged the authorities to show concrete programs to improve of their human rights advocacy.

Suarez also challenged Centcom to present the perpetrator behind the alleged abduction of Elke Bacalso, a student of a Cebu City University, last August.

The group has accused the military of staging the abduction.

The military denied the allegation. –Cebu Daily News