Palace expects US’ fair probe on drug war

MALACAÑANG on Thursday expressed optimism that the United States (US) will be impartial on its investigation on the Philippines' all-out war against illegal drugs waged by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Speaking to Palace reporters, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the Duterte administration was expecting that the US government will take “all sides” when it starts the probe on the anti-drug war in the Philippines.

“The universality of human rights presupposes due process be observed by all and as such, any proceedings that allege wrongdoing should provide the opportunity for all sides to be considered,” Abella said.

A US congressional body, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC) of the US House committee on foreign affairs, is slated to hold an inquiry concerning the “human rights consequences” of the war on drugs in the Philippines.

The commission said the drug war launched in the Philippines, a treaty ally of the US and the largest recipient of US assistance, posed questions about how the US 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.”

Abella said the government respects the decision of the US government to investigate Duterte's anti-drug war.

He, however, said that the US commission would not base its inquiry on “insinuations and hasty judgments.”

“We respect the views of the commission and we greatly value the support of the United States that they have given to us and to continue to give our country as we address our important economic and social development objectives,” Abella said.

“Having said that, we also believe that the issues that are the focus of the commission hearing must be discussed in the context of the scope of the challenge that we face and the actions we are taking to address it,” he added.

Witnesses on TLHRC's investigation include iDefend Philippines spokesperson Ellecer Carlos, Amnesty senior crisis advisor Matthew Wells, and Human Rights Watch-Asia deputy director Phelim Kine.

The TLHRC said the resource persons would analyze the implementation of Duterte's war on drugs and its consequences for the human rights situation in the Philippines.

Citing “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016,” the US commission said the number of drug-related deaths has “sharply increased” in Duterte's first year in office.

According to data provided by the Philippine National Police, there have been 7,025 drug-related killings recorded from July 1, 2016 to January 21, 2017, with an average of 34 individuals killed in a day.

Abella said the commission should verify and crosschecked the numbers and information they obtained with regard to Philippines' campaign against illegal drugs.

“Insinuations and hasty judgments have no place in due process. Numbers should be verified and information should be crosschecked so that the ensuing conclusions have a solid basis in fact,” he said.

“Global experts have recognized the intrinsic link between terrorism and crime specifically the manufacturing and trafficking of illicit drugs,” he added.

Amid the impending probe, Abella said the Duterte administration's drug war “is a noble effort to protect the security and the safety of the Filipino people and the future of the nation.”