US House rights body to probe Phl drug war

The human rights body of the US House of Representatives will hold on Thursday a hearing on the human rights consequences of the war on illegal drugs in the Philippines.

The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a bi-partisan caucus in the House, has invited resource persons to analyze the implementation of President Duterte’s war on drugs and reported extrajudicial killings related to the campaign, ABS-CBN News reported.

Among those invited are I-Defend Philippines spokesman Ellecer Carlos, Amnesty International senior crisis advisor Matthew Wells and Human Rights Watch Asia Division deputy director Phelim Kine.

“Reports of extrajudicial killings raise questions about how the United States should balance its concerns for protecting human rights and the rule of law with its desire to maintain the bilateral alliance and continue to pursue other shared goals,” the commission said.

The US, a close ally of the Philippines, has been monitoring Duterte’s drug war, with some American senators proposing to restrict US arms exports to the Philippines because of the reported abuses.

Duterte has, meanwhile, lashed out at the US for its criticism of the drug war, vowing to pursue an independent foreign policy that shifts to closer partnerships with non-traditional allies such as China and Russia.

The chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), for his part, yesterday defended the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, which he said has reaped positive results for the country.

PDEA director general Isidro Lapeña claimed that the anti-drug operations were done in accordance with law.

“We do not tolerate violations of human rights. We could show our records,” Lapeña told ANC.

Lapeña issued the statement in response to reports that the US House of Representatives will hold a public hearing on the human rights abuse cases in the drug war in the Philippines.