Senate defers CHR’s budget deliberation due to prior position on abortion

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 14) — The Senate on Tuesday suspended deliberation on the proposed 2024 budget of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) due to its previous position supporting the decriminalization of abortion.

This may cost the CHR, an independent constitutional office, its ₱934 million budget for next year as four male senators took issue with the commission’s previous position.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said the CHR should be given time to come up with a stand. After, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who sponsored the budget of the CHR, made a motion to defer the plenary debate pending a “strong stand against abortion.”

WATCH: Sen. Jinggoy Estrada threatens to not defend the Commission on Human Rights' proposed budget for next year over a previous statement supporting the decriminalization of abortion.

CHR says it was the position under the late Chairperson Chito Gascon | @eimorpsantos pic.twitter.com/bN6AlEHg5n

— CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) November 14, 2023

“If they continue to espouse the decriminalization of abortion or support abortion per se, I’m sorry I will be unable to defend this budget,” he added.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, who also stated his opposition to decriminalizing abortion, approved the motion.

“You’re not the only one, I will not be able to approve their budget,” Zubiri also said.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano protested a 2022 statement that states the commission is pushing for the passage of a law decriminalizing abortion.

Cayetano named CHR Executive Director Jacqueline Ann De Guia who has given the statement in an international forum.

Villanueva also joined the interpellations, asking if this was the official position of the CHR. He is the son of Eddie Villanueva, the founder of Jesus Is Lord Church, a Christian megachurch in the Philippines.

“She does not support abortion,” Estrada said, quoting De Guia. “She only supports the decriminalization of abortion in so far as it affects the life of the mother.”

But the CHR clarified, through Estrada as its budget sponsor, that it was the position of the fifth commission, which was in office from 2015 to 2022 and under the leadership of the late chairperson Chito Gascon. He said De Guia was the body’s spokesperson at that time.

Estrada then read a note: “The Commission on Human Rights assures the Senate that there is no position on abortion. CHR values the right to life of all as enshrined in the 1987 Constitution. The present commission is still studying the matter on abortion.”

Filipinos are predominantly Roman Catholic, a religion that has consistently condemned abortion.

Cayetano stressed that the Philippines is “anti-abortion” as the 1987 Constitution provides the State “shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception.” But he also read Bible verses to wrap up his interpellation.

“If we can remove a president, a Supreme Court justice, because of culpable violation of the Constitution, how can we support the CHR if they’re going to say pag-aaralan pa nila kung ide-decriminalize o hindi ang abortion [they have yet to study decriminalizing abortion or not],” he said.

“We are 24 members here and we belong to different religions…and I think all of us agree that all of us are against abortion,” Estrada also said.

Zubiri recalled the time when the House of Representatives gave CHR a zero budget and the Senate restored it.

“We support CHR but in this particular issue, we take it very strongly, because I believe in the right of life and I believe in life and the life of an innocent child,” Zubiri said.

In September, Estrada submitted the agency’s budget for plenary debates just minutes after he opened the hearing.