MANILA, Philippines – The Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion protested against extrajudicial killings and the cut on Commission on Human Rights' (CHR) budget on Wednesday, September 13.
Members of the squad raised placards with the call "Stop the killings, Uphold human rights" during their halftime performance at the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80 Men's Basketball game against the University of the Philippines.
They also tore a replica of a P1000-bill, referring to the slashed CHR budget.
On Tuesday, September 12, the House of Representatives (HOR) voted to allocate only P1,000 to the Constitutional body that was mandated to investigate allegations of human rights abuses by state actors such as the military or police.
Netizens and various groups slammed the lawmakers who voted for the measly annual budget. (READ: Filipinos ask their representatives: How did you vote on CHR budget?)
CHR has also been monitoring the tallies being done by human rights groups and various media organizations, such as the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), which had cited at least 12,000 deaths– including those allegedly killed by vigilantes. (READ: Things to know: Human rights in the Philippines).
Many members of the Ateneo academic community previously staged rallies and other forms of protest to condemn the killings.
In 2016, the squad also staged protest actions against the burial of dictator Ferdinand Marcos during the Final 4 game of Ateneo against Far Eastern University. – Rappler.com