Palace tells 39 UN member states: 'We will never accept dictation'
MALACAÑANG on Friday insisted that the Philippine government would not be swayed by the "dictation" of its foreign peers on how it is managing its domestic concerns, particularly its crackdown on illegal drugs.
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella maintained that there was "no culture of impunity" in the Philippines in relation to the brutal war on illicit narcotics sale, stressing that the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte did not condone the reported abuses of human rights.
His statement came after 39 member-states of the United Nations (UN) have expressed alarm over the alleged summary executions of suspected drug offenders in the country.
"Unfortunately, it still appears that some parties refuse to understand certain aspects of our human rights efforts. So let us be clear. There is no culture of impunity in the Philippines," Abella said in a statement.
"The state is investigating all credible allegations of human rights violations by all its agents and will continue to do so, consistent with our constitution and laws, and in compliance with the spirit of our national traditions of liberty and democracy," he added.
Iceland, on behalf of 38 other countries, delivered a joint statement on Thursday, expressing serious concern over the thousands of drug-related killings and alleged impunity associated with Duterte's drug war.
The number of signatories rose to 39 from the previous 32 nations that expressed a similar concern during the 35th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in June.
The member-states called on the Philippines to cooperate with foreign entities in conducting an appropriate inquiry into the reported drug killings under Duterte’s leadership.
"We urge the government of the Philippines to take all necessary measures to bring these killings to an end and cooperate with the international community to pursue appropriate investigations into these incidents, in keeping with universal principles of democratic accountability and the rule of law," Iceland said at the 36th session of the UNHRC.
The joint statement was signed by Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, UK, Ukraine, and United States.
The 39 countries were also concerned about the "climate of impunity" affiliated with the war waged by Duterte against illegal drugs.
Despite criticisms on the anti-drugs campaign, Abella reiterated that the Philippine government did not sponsor the drug killings in the country.
"The truth is: Our justice system does not tolerate any statesponsored extrajudicial killings. All these accusations of extrajudicial killings and cir- cumventing police procedures should be proven in a competent court and if found meritorious should result in appropriate sanctions against the perpetrators. Failing these, such claims are mere hearsay," he said.
The Philippines recently claimed a "big victory" in Geneva after the UNHRC adopted its human rights report on September 22, even after it rejected more than a half of recommendations of the rights body's member-states.
The Duterte government welcomed only 103 of 257 recommendations and merely "took note" on the suggestions related to extrajudicial killings in its war on illegal drugs.
Malacañang on Monday said the rejection of some recommendations provided by UNHRC was in line with the Philippines’ stance to exercise its own course through independent foreign policy.
Abella said the administration would continue to uphold its independent foreign policy, which it accepts the assistance of other countries.
"In conclusion, rest assured that we will be unswerving in carrying out our duty to protect our people from the scourges of drugs, corruption, and criminality so that with inclusive development and social justice, they may attain lives of dignity in a prosperous nation," Abella said.
"To achieve these ends, we will always be happy to accept the help of our foreign friends. But we will never accept dictation on how we are managing our own internal domestic processes," he added. (SunStar Philippines/Ruth Abbey Gita)