MANILA - Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chair Chito Gascon on Thursday attributed the restoration of its budget to the public outcry over the decision by the House of Representatives to reduce to P1,000 the constitutional body's budget for 2018.

"Napakasaya namin na nagbukas sila ng pananaw at puso na palagay namin ay lulan ng protesta ng mamamayan, yung dami ng tao na nagsabi na mali ito," Gascon told ABS-CBN News.

At least 112 representatives initially voted to give the CHR a P1,000 budget for 2018, a big markdown from the agency's original P623.38 million proposal.

But on Wednesday, Nograles said the House was ready to reinstate the CHR and two other agency's budget.

Prior to the reinstatement of the CHR's budget, Nograles and Cebu Representative Raul Delmar brokered a meeting between Gascon and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

"It was a brief meeting. Kinamayan ko lang siya at sinabi niya kay majority (leader Rodolfo Fariñas) na okay na yun," Gascon said.

Gascon said he also told House leaders that the CHR cannot respond to all human rights abuses since their primary mandate is to check the abuses committed by government officials.

"I told them hindi namin magagawa dahil hindi kami law enforcing institution," Gascon said.

Gascon said he did not offer his resignation in exchange for the budget reinstatement.

"We will always stand our ground in terms of our mandate," he said.