Palace confident Trump won’t raise human rights issues
MALACAÑANG on Saturday was confident that United States (US) President Donald Trump would not bring up to President Rodrigo Duterte the reported human rights abuses linked to the Philippines’ war on illegal drugs.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque believed that Trump, who complimented Duterte in May for immensely focusing on ending drug problem, sees no need to raise the anti-narcotics campaign that so far claimed the lives of thousands of alleged drug traffickers.
Roque’s remark comes after Duterte said he would not allow Trump to talk about the reported drug-related deaths in the Philippines when they hold bilateral meeting on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) forum in Manila.
On Thursday, the President said, “I feel that we (I and Trump) share so many ideas along the same line of problems of governance. I know that I’d have an interesting time with him,” Duterte said. “[But if he will talk about our war on drugs, I’ll tell him] lay off, sir, that’s my business.”
Roque told reporters in Vietnam, “I think the Philippine President was very clear in his statement to the Philippine media on our first night here in Da Nang. He will refuse to pursue any talks relating to a domestic issue such as on his war on drugs.”
“Having said that, I’m confident that President Trump, having endorsed Duterte’s war on drugs, will also see no necessity in bringing it up,” he added.
US Congressmen Randy Hultgren and James McGovern, co-chairpersons of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, wrote a letter to Trump, urging the most powerful leader to express the Americans’ “profound concern” over Duterte’s bloody crackdown on illicit drugs trade.
Hultgren and McGovern reminded the Philippines, as long-time allies of the US, to avoid human rights violations amid its fight against narcotics.
It could be recalled in May that Trump lauded Duterte in a phone conversation for the latter’s way of handling the enormous problem on illegal drugs in the Philippines.
“I just wanted to congratulate you because I am hearing of the unbelievable job on the drug problem,” Trump told Duterte in a leaked transcript of their phone call. “Many countries have the problem, we have a problem, but what a great job you are doing and I just wanted to call and tell you that.”
Duterte has waged a war on the drug trade that led to the killings of thousands of people and caused alarm among human rights groups and international community.
Unfazed by criticisms, Duterte has repeatedly launched profanity-laced remarks against his critics, including then US President Barack Obama, for criticizing his war on drugs. (SunStar Philippines)