PHL has no right to be part of UN Human Rights Council —Alejano

An opposition lawmaker on Saturday assailed the Philippines' inclusion in the United Nations Human Rights Council.

"It would be ironic na magiging miyembro tayo ng isang komisyon na magtataguyod at magpapatibay ng pagrespeto ng karapatang pantao sa buong mundo, tingin ko walang karapatan ang Pilipinas na maging bahagi niyan," Magdalo Party-list Rep. Gary Alejano said at a news forum in Quezon City.

The Philippines, along with Bahrain, Cameroon, Somalia, Bangladesh, and Eritrea, were among the countries elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday.

Around a third of seats on the 47-member council, based in Geneva, were open for slots lasting from 2019-2022. A 97-vote majority from the 193 nations that make up the UN's General Assembly is needed for approval.

For Alejano, the election isn't a victory for the Philippines as it is a product of the Duterte administration's relentless denial that thousands have already been killed in the government's notorious war on drugs.

"Kahit ano pa ang paliwanang ng gobyerno hindi po maide-deny na libo-libo na po ang namatay. Libo-libo na ang nabiktima ng war on drugs kahit ano pang pagpapaliwanag." 

"Kita 'yan sa salaita ng Pangulo na inatake niya ang Commission on Human Rights, inatake niya ang UN High Commissioner on Huma Rights so ayaw niyang pipigilan siya. It would be ironic for the Philippines to be a member of Human Rights Commission before the United Nations," he added.

The Philippines' election in the UN Human Rights Council also drew criticisms from various human rights groups.

"Ang laging nag-a-attend doon si Secretary Cayetano. Lagi niyang pinapaliwanag na hindi totoo na may paglabag ng karapatang pantao sa Pilipinas. Hindi po makatotohanan 'yun, saang planeta ba sila nabubuhay at hindi nila alam na merong paglabag ng karapatang pantao sa Pilipinas," Alejano said. —LBG, GMA News