The Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (Pahra) strongly condemned Senator Rodante Marcoleta's election as chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, calling it a "blatant insult to victims of human rights violations and their families."
The alliance said in a statement on Thursday that this committee should not be led by allies of human rights violators.
Marcoleta is known to be an ally of detained former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is accused of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“A committee on Justice and Human Rights should never be led by a staunch ally of human rights violators,” said Edgar Cabalitan, Secretary-General of Pahra.
“You do not deserve to sit in a position meant to defend rights and accountability when your political record consistently protected impunity and attacked institutions seeking justice,” he added.
The group cited Marcoleta’s move in 2017 to slash the budget of the (CHR) to only P1,000 after it investigated killings linked to the Duterte administration’s “war on drugs”, while the current senator was serving at the House of Representatives.
Pahra also condemned Marcoleta’s repeated dismissal of drug war killings as “collateral damage” and his "rejection of international accountability efforts", including the ICC’s investigation into possible crimes against humanity against Duterte.
“You cannot lead a committee like this when you attacked the CHR, defended the drug war, and most recently moved to shield Bato dela Rosa from accountability through Senate protective custody," Cabalitan said.
The group also said that Marcoleta’s recent move to place Senator Ronald dela Rosa under Senate protective custody amid ICC proceedings further proves that his appointment is "about protecting political allies rather than defending justice and human rights."
The human rights alliance also warned that Marcoleta’s appointment in his new Senate reflects a "dangerous form of institutional capture, where institutions meant to regulate abuses and uphold accountability are instead being occupied and controlled by those aligned with the very violations they are supposed to investigate."
“Your record shows that you were never concerned about victims, accountability, or human rights,” Cabalitan said.
The rights organization called for Marcoleta to immediately relinquish the position, or ask Senate leadership to remove him from the committee chairmanship.
“The Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights cannot become a safe space for enablers of impunity... If the Senate is serious about justice and accountability, Marcoleta has no place leading that committee,” Cabalitan said.
