US senator hit for denouncing PH rights record

MANILA -- There is nothing new about the remarks made by US Senator Bernie Sanders on the alleged human rights abuses made by the Philippine government, Malacañang said on Sunday.

Sanders, in a Tweet on Friday linking a post from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), said the “repression of trade unionists is a shameful attempt to silence people’s rights and freedoms.”

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, however, said Sanders was merely reiterating unvalidated reports peddled by foreign news agencies.

“Ang tingin ko rin na shameful attempt din sa parte niya na magbigay siya ng impormasyon na hindi naman niya na-validate (I think it is also a shameful attempt on his part to give information that is not validated),” Panelo said in an interview over dzIQ.

“Inuulit niya lang ang sinasabi ng mga kritiko na pine-peddle sa foreign news agencies (He is merely repeating what critics say based on what has been peddled by foreign news agencies),” he added.

In the ITUC report shared by Sanders titled “Philippines: Government Crackdown Targets Unions”, it claimed that the Duterte administration’s drug war “has been responsible for a reported 27,000 extra-judicial killings since it was launched by President Duterte in 2016.”