CHAPTER 1: CRITICAL EVALUATION IN THE CONTEXT OF JOHN RAWLS

The decision of the House to cut the budget from the proposed ₱ 649.484 million

(inclusive of retirement and life insurance program) down to ₱1000 annual budget of the

Commission on Human Rights (CHR) for 2018 would be unethical and unjustifiable. As stated

in the 1987 Constitution (Article 13, Section 17), the CHR is a “constitutional body” and a

“fiscal autonomy” in order to ensure that the government will not affect the operations of these

institutions as it ’safeguards’ our democracy. Thus, a ₱1000 budget for 2018 means that the

government virtually abolishes a constitutional body in which the Congress has no power to

eradicate. Moreover, the Congress still deliberates on the CHR’s P649.484-million 2018 budget,

as proposed by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and was once again deferred

on Friday. The DBM had proposed a P496-million budget for CHR in 2017. Hence, it could not

go lower than that because as specified in the “fiscal autonomy” it certainly means that

appropriations should be always be on the level of appropriations for the previous year or higher.

Given the issue of having a ₱1000 2018 budget, there would be consequences involved

wherein most of the Filipino citizen victims who are suffering injustice (Murder, Homicide etc.)

could not be protected by the Commission of human rights since they don’t have enough funds to

investigate certain case thus, they would have a hard time in protecting that certain citizen and

eventually that certain someone who is a member of a certain family would be affected. The poor

would be more oppress for there would be social injustice in the society and the wealthy people

would easily be able to surpass the law by playing and paying for it. Furthermore, decreasing the

said budget of the CHR would not benefit the Filipino citizens who are suffering from social

injustice and inequality. Filipinos should fight for the right of every citizen as Filipino and it

should be protected.