Palace assures help to ML victims

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque today said President Rodrigo Duterte may have to issue an Executive Order to extend the period for human rights victims during martial law to claim and cash the checks meant as reparation for their ordeal.

At a press briefing at Davao Occidental, Roque said he would meet with officials of the Human Rights Victim’s Claim Board (HRVCB) this week to address the issue.

“I will make this a priority. Maybe it would be necessary to issue an Executive Order to extend the life of the HRVCB just for the purpose of the banks honoring the signature of the designated signatories of the claims board,” Roque said.

Earlier, the Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA), an organization of former political prisoners in the Philippines, said about P800 million worth of reparation funds remain undistributed as many approved claimants were unable to cash their checks.

The group appealed to the government for an extension of the validity and availability of funds intended for reparation for martial law victims who have not claimed their rightful compensation.

“After so many hurdles before being able to receive reparation and recognition, we do not want to leave anyone behind, especially the legitimate victims of martial law. Ultimately, we should make sure that all funds intended for the victims and their kin should be given to them,” SELDA said in a statement.

The fund, currently with the HRVCB’s account with Land Bank of the Philippines, will only be maintained until 11 August, after which it will be reverted to the Bureau of Treasury.

After four years of evaluating and processing the documents of claimants the HRVCB ended its term last 12 May. The board was created by law to distribute the P10 billion reparation pay to human rights victims during the regime of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

The group is worried that many martial law victims might not have enough time to claim their compensation.

Meanwhile, the Public Interest Law Center (PILC) slammed the offer of P1 million bounty for the arrest of National Anti-Poverty Commission Secretary Liza Maza, Satur Ocampo, Rafael Mariano and Teddy Casiño.

“It’s like a go-signal for a free-for-all race for bounty hunters, whether public or private persons. It comes at a time when extrajudicial killings are prevalent with impunity, endangering the lives of our clients,” said lawyer Rachel Pastores, managing counsel of PILC.

On Tuesday Malacañang urged Maza to surrender to authorities after a court ordered her arrest along with three others in connection with a double murder charge that it assailed about a decade ago.