By Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos
Malacañang has asked United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince of Jordan Zeid Ra’ad al-Husein to respect the sovereignty of the Philippines following his pronouncement that President Duterte needs psychiatric evaluation.
Zeid recommended that Duterte undergo a psychiatric check following the President’s tirades against UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings Agnes Callamard and the recent petition to tag UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Victoria Tauli-Corpuz as a “terrorist.”
“It makes one believe that the President of the Philippines needs to submit himself to some sort of psychiatric evaluation,” Zeid said.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque acknowledged that the classification of Corpuz as a terrorist prompted Zeid’s harsh language. Roque said these are ad hominem and an affront to sovereignty.
“The language used by the High Commissioner is uncalled for. I’m very tempted to respond in similar language but I have opted to restrain myself, opting not to respond in the same ad hominem used by the UN High Commissioner,” Roque said.
“I will reiterate, however, that such language directed against a democratically elected head of a UN member-country is uncalled for and is of course an affront on the sovereignty of the Republic of the Philippines,” he added.
Roque asked Zeid to respect the Philippine democratic system and said his language was an insult to states with elected leaders.
“I will, however, state that perhaps the UN High Commissioner’s language is because of the fact that they have no democracy in his own state of Jordan. Jordan’s leader is not elected unlike our President,” he said.
