CHRP is an independent constitutional office created under the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, with the primary function of investigating all forms of human rights violations involving civil and political rights in the Philippines.

The Commission was founded and first led by Chairman Jose W. Diokno, the father of human rights in the country, whom the surrounding park of the headquarters called the Liwasang Diokno (Diokno Freedom Park) is named after. Furthermore, the hall inside the compound is called Bulwagang Diokno or the Diokno Hall, which features a sculpted bust and large mural of the late senator.

The CHR is composed of a Chairperson and four members. Commissioners hold a term of office of seven years without reappointment. The Philippine Constitution requires that a majority of the Commission’s members must be lawyers. As a National Human Rights Institution, the Commission enjoys Status A or top accreditation by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions based on the 1993 Paris Principles.