PH rights record defended
Duterte’s human rights presentation during ASEAN Summit silences world leaders
The Duterte administration has not violated human rights in its ongoing war on illegal drugs. Chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo stated this when he talked to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon at the end of Wednesday’s ASEAN gala dinner held inVientiane, Laos.
“I talked to him,” Panelo told reporters on the sidelines of the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits. “I explained to him that there are no violations of human rights.”
“I’m not a lawyer, I cannot argue with you,” Ban reportedly told Panelo, who answered back: “I am just telling you, I just want to assure you that
we are following the law.”
Instead, Ban suggested that the Duterte administration seek an audience with the UN Human Rights Commission in order to clear those allegations that human rights are supposedly being violated by the government in the implementation of its war on crime, specifically the use and trafficking of illegal drugs.
Narrating his meeting with Ban, Panelo said he took the opportunity and the risk of breaking diplomatic protocol, when he approached the UN chief to defend the human rights records of the country.
But the problem is, Ban explained to the Chief presidential legal counsel that there are a lot of people who are telling them otherwise.
“It is like he is saying in this particular situation, there are 10 people and nine of them are telling the UN that violations are really happening,” explained Panelo.
That is just the perception, Panelo apparently told Ban during their encounter.
“The UN is immediately reacting to wrong information it has received,” Panelo added.
Leaders silenced Meanwhile, President Duterte boldly raised the human rights violations committed by United States in the Philippines during a regional summit in Laos.
The President, however, said US President Barack Obama and other leaders present in the ASEAN-East Asia Summit were silent after showing them photos of the alleged US atrocities in the country.
In a speech before the Filipino community in Indonesia, the President said he asked the world leaders on what they intend to do to address the killings of 600,000 Filipino Muslims by the US military in the early 1900s, which he claimed was clearly an issue about human rights.
“Because of the pressure, na para huminto na sila, sabi ko, ‘since human rights was mentioned, I produced a few pages with pictures in the pacification campaign by the Americans at the turn of century,” he said.
“They were just buried in a common pit. Naghukay lang tapos ‘yung mga sundalo pinapatungan pa ‘yung dibdib ng babae na nakahubad. This is human rights. What do you intend to do? Do not tell me that is water under the bridge. A human rights violation whether committed by Moses or Abraham is still a violation of human rights,” he added.
Duterte claimed that he was waiting for Obama, who expressed concern about the drug-related killings in the Philippines, to respond but the US leader was speechless.
“Tumahimik sila. I was – Kasi ako handa na ako, I was waiting for Obama to respond,” he said.
“Kung tayo, violation. Sa kanila, hindi?” he complained.
He also observed that the UN chief also did not give any statement on human rights during the ASEAN summit.
He said Ban’s silence was in contrast to his previous statement expressing concern on human rights violations.
“Pati ito si Ban Ki Moon, nakihalo. He also gave his statement before, several weeks ago about the human rights violation. Sabi ko, isa ka pang tarantado,” he said.