The new chairman of the Commission of Human Rights (CHR) should remain independent from Malacañang and uphold the body's mandate, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) urged on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

The statement was released following the official appointment of Richard Palpal-latoc as the new chairman under the 6th Commission en banc.

The group noted that Palpal-latoc previously worked in the Palace as former deputy executive secretary for legal affairs under Vic Rodriguez, and he was his law partner.

“We hope that despite his previous proximity to the halls of power as a Palace official, he will maintain the CHR's independence from Malacanang. The new Chair can emulate his predecessors like Jose W. Diokno, Leila de Lima, and Chito Gascon,” it said.

“There is also the upcoming Universal Periodic Review where the rights record of the Philippines will be scrutinized by the members of the UN (United Nation) Human Rights Council. There are also many human rights complaints by civil society groups that require the response of the CHR,” it added.

The human rights group said they looked forward to having a dialogue with Palpal-latoc in regards to the current human rights situation in the country.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.'s appointment of Palpal-latoc was a slap in the face of the human rights abuse victims.

“[H]is appointment of a loyalist lawyer with no discernable experience in human rights work as new CHR chair. Quite clearly, Marcos has failed this important early test about his commitment to human rights despite his flowery words at the UN General Assembly about ushering in a ‘new’ Philippines,” he said in a statement.

The CHR earlier said Palpal-latoc and the new appointees will serve a full seven-year term from 2022 to 2029.