The Business Mirror in the Philippines published on Monday 29 July 2013 a piece quoting the human-rights group Karapatan which asked the Chair of the Commission on Human Rights, Loretta Ann Rosales, to step down for allegedly failing to fulfill the mandate of her office. The group said that instead of doing her job as the country’s chief human-rights defender, Rosales has been acting more like the spokesperson of the Armed Forces and the National Police. Karapatan Chair Marie Hilao-Enriquez said the previous actions and statements of Rosales, in effect, even promote impunity in the country. “Instead of conducting CHR’s own investigations on the many incidents of police brutality in rallies and barricades during demolitions, Rosales, on many occasion, only resorted to victim-blaming,” Enriquez said. “The permit of the organizers of the rally was denied, concertina wires and blockades were mounted along the highway where we marched. Despite our efforts to negotiate with the police, they pushed and beat our colleagues. The brutal police action prompted many of us, including foreign activists like Beersum, to express indignation. Rosales was quick to blame us, acting as the National Police spokesman, instead of doing her job to investigate what actually transpired.”
via BusinessMirror – Rosales asked to resign for ‘incompetence’.
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