Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14) — Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday called on President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to appoint qualified and independent human rights experts to the Commission on Human Rights while ensuring the selection process is transparent and inclusive.
“President-elect Marcos should appoint commissioners with proven track records of defending human rights,” HRW deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said in a statement.
“Given the grave human rights situation in the Philippines, these new commissioners should be independent and strongly committed to fearlessly and impartially upholding the commission’s mandate and duties,” he added.
HRW urged the incoming president to create an independent search committee that will assess individuals with strong human rights backgrounds and credentials from a short list of candidates.
The international group added that Marcos’ presidential campaign was “marked by disinformation about his family’s role in human rights abuses during the dictatorship of his father.”
“The appointment of the commissioners will be an important first test for his administration’s commitment to human rights,” it said.
On June 10, United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Philippines Gustavo Gonzales said Marcos has committed to ensure a “high level” of accountability for human rights issues and violations in the country.
Robertson said Marcos is inheriting a dire human rights situation from outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, “whose brutal war on drugs resulted the extrajudicial killings of thousands of people since 2016.”
“By building up rather than tearing down the commission, Marcos would help dispel people’s fears about human rights under his administration,” he added.
