PHL to UN: Don't intervene in Duterte's drug war

Philippine officials on Friday cited the “principle of non-intervention” in defending the Duterte administration’s war on drugs before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Isidro Lapeña, a member of the 16-member Philippine delegation in Geneva, Switzerland, made the pronouncement during his presentation as part of the UNHRC’s Universal Periodic Review.

He said the Philippine government should be allowed to determine the “best approach” against its drug problem.

“While the drug problem is a common and shared responsibility, we underscore the sovereign right of each state to determine the best approach to address their drug problem considering its historical, political, economic, social and cultural context, and social norms,” Lapeña said.

“Full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the states as well as the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of states must be observed by all,” he added.

The human rights record of the Philippines is under review amid criticisms of alleged extrajudicial killings being linked to the war on drugs, which is at the centerpiece of President Rodrigo Duterte's administration.

The UPR happens every four years, where member countries present their human rights records to the UNHRC. The Philippines last participated in the UPR in 2012.

Wrong information

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano defended Duterte before the panel, saying “fake news and alternative facts” made it appear that the chief executive was “acting with impunity."

Cayetano, chairman of the Senate committee on foreign relations, led the Philippine delegation.

In his presentation, Cayetano lamented how the foreign media and various human rights groups got the “wrong information” on the administration’s war against illegal drugs.

“If only there was a less political, more unbiased and a fair way of describing what was really happening in the Philippines, we will be having a more constructive discussion rather than groups throwing alternative facts and fake news,” Cayetano, Duterte’s staunch ally and vice-presidential candidate in the 2016 elections, said.

“It’s unfortunate and it’s sad that these fake news, based on alternative facts, was gobbled up by political foes of President Duterte locally, gobbled up by some local media, which created a domino effect in the foreign media,” he added.

He said the tally of killings in the country were “well within the average” during the past six years of the Aquino administration, citing statistics of 11,000 to 14,000 yearly.

Data presented by Cayetano said that as of April 20, deaths resulting from presumed legitimate law enforcement operations were at 2,692, while total homicide cases were 9,342.

“It’s still too much. Any killing is too much,” he said, noting however that “the numbers were presented in a way that basically made it appear that he (Duterte) was acting with impunity.”

Cayetano clarified that the period under review covers five years of the Aquino administration and 10 months of the Duterte administration.

Massive public support

Lapeña claimed the government’s campaign against illegal drugs has the “public’s massive support” with several sectors, including the Church, taking action against the problem.

He assured the body that the government will respect the law as it fulfills Duterte’s “social justice agenda.”

“The Philippines’ commitment to carry out the President’s social justice agenda remains as strong as our commitment to ensure that our nation is freed from the damage done daily to millions of our people by the proliferation of illegal drugs throughout the country,” Lapeña said.

“Efforts to achieve them are being carried out in a manner that respects our laws,” he added.

The Philippine delegation includes representatives from the Presidential Human Rights Committee, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Justice, Department of Health, Department of Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Labor and Employment.

The team also includes representatives from the Presidential Communications Office, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Philippine National Police, Department of Social Welfare and Development, the National Economic Development Authority, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples. —KBK/JST, GMA News