By ARGYLL GEDUCOS
Malacañang has rejected anew calls to allow rapporteurs of the United Nations (UN) to come to the Philippines to investigate the alleged human rights violations and killings in the country under President Duterte’s drug war.
In an interview with CNN Philippines this week, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the government will not allow UN rapporteurs to set foot in the country because of their fixed bias against the Philippines.
“There’s no need to allow into the country so-called experts with very fixed biases against the Philippines already,” he said. “There’s nothing that the UN can do if we do not allow rapporteurs into our country,” he added.
The Palace official added that there was no need for the UN to launch a probe on the drug war because the Philippines will not let it happen anyway.
“No need because under the UN system, the State’s consent is required,” he said. “The fact that we’re not allowing them is a sovereign prerogative recognized by the UN system,” he added.
Last week, European lawmakers recommended in a resolution to revoke the Philippines’ Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) status perk on its goods over “serious” human rights violations in the country.
Democratic Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild likewise introduced the Philippine Human Rights Act (US House Resolution 8313) which seeks to “suspend the provision of security assistance to the Philippines” until the country has made certain reforms to the military and police, particularly to stop human rights violations.
Roque dared both the European Union and the United States to just go ahead with what they want to do, especially if they want to see Filipinos suffer even more during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his speech during the 75th United Nations General Assembly last Wednesday (Philippine time), President Duterte assured the body that the Philippines upholds the human rights of its citizens as the government continues to address the scourge of illegal drugs, criminality, and terrorism.
