Nations that backed UNHCR motion have no moral ascendancy –Sen. Sotto

The United Nations and the countries who voted to adopt the United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution calling for a comprehensive review of the Philippines’ drug war did not have the moral ascendancy to do so, Senate President Vicente Sotto III claimed on Friday.

“Before the UN, US and western countries investigate so-called extra-judicial killings here, they should tell us how many hundreds of thousands of babies they abort who are about to be born,” Sotto said. “Ano ‘yun, walang rights? They have no moral high ground to lecture us.”

The Iceland-initiated resolution that the UN Human Rights Council was approved via an 18-14 vote during its 41st regular session in Geneva, Switzerland on July 11.

Fifteen other countries, including Japan, abstained.

Among the 18 countries that voted in favor of reviewing the Philippines’ drug war policy in light of the unabated killings of drug suspects included:

• Argentina
• Australia 
• Austria
• Bahamas 
• Bulgaria   
• Croatia
• Czech Republic 
• Denmark 
• Fiji 
• Iceland
• Italy
• Mexico
• Peru
• Slovakia   
• Spain       
• Ukraine         
• United Kingdom and
• Uruguay

Those who voted against the resolution included:

• Philippines
• Angola
• Bahrain
• Cameroon
• China   
• Cuba   
• Egypt 
• Eritrea
• Hungary   
• India   
• Iraq     
• Qatar   
• Saudi Arabia
• Somalia

Opposition lawmakers had welcomed the UN Human Rights Council's adoption of the resolution, as they deemed it necessary to stop the widespread killings.

“It gives light and hope to the families, relatives and friends of those innocent people, particularly children, who died in the name of drug war. It sends the right signal that they are not alone in the fight for justice,” Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, a former Justice Secretary, said.

"I therefore commend the UN Human Rights Council for this bold move and I appeal to everyone to make the Resolution work, soldier on to shrining the space for impunity in the Philippines, and to widen the windows of justice for the victims of abuses against our people,” Senator Leila de Lima, also a former Justice Department Chief, added. — DVM, GMA News