Roque says he’d address Phl human rights issues
MANILA — Not too long ago, Harry Roque was almost a fixture at the Supreme Court, filing cases of national consequence, suing generals and top officials.An activist and human rights lawyer, he represented the poor and the abused.
Soon, Roque is set to bring his legal and media savvy to the Malacañang briefing room. And as President Rodrigo Duterte's new spokesperson, Roque says he intends to reinforce— not abandon—his human rights activism, even as he joins an administration heavily criticized over alleged human rights violations in the drug war, ABS-CBN News reported yesterday.
"By accepting this position, I am not condoning the violence surrounding the government's anti-drug campaign, nor do I intend to further the same," said Roque in a statement yesterday morning. "I considered the position with the specific purpose of getting an audience with the President to address key human rights issues in the Philippines," he said.
The administration has faced widespread criticism over deaths in the drug war, but it has repeatedly shot down allegations that it was behind summary killings.
For Roque, who will succeed Ernesto Abella as presidential spokesperson on November 6, joining the cabinet would not contradict his long-time advocacy. He said it was his stand for human rights that made him say "yes" to the President's offer. As a lawmaker, he said, his voice was "limited."
But as a cabinet member, he said he could give Duterte counsel on "the manner and methods he has used to tackle the problem of drugs." He said he has "expressed his willingness to serve as an adviser on the matter."
"I must also stress that my position on human rights has not changed. I am a firm advocate for the protection and preservation of fundamental human rights of all persons," said Roque, founder of human rights lawyers' group Centerlaw and professor of constitutional law and public international law at the University of the Philippines.
He said his mission as spokesperson is to be the voice of clarity amid the ambiguity that, as he described himself, surrounded Duterte's words. It was such an important role that he agreed to give up his seat in Congress as sectoral representative for Kabayan Party-list.
"By taking up this position, I intend to refocus the attention of the people more towards the fundamental position of the State, and less towards the manner by which such has been declared. Similarly, I am committing to reduce, if not totally eradicate, the impact of statements which appear to support genocide or violations of fundamental human rights," said Roque.