DESPITE CRITICISMS

Duterte: Philippines committed to honoring human rights treaty obligations

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday affirmed the Philippines’ commitment in fulfilling its human rights obligations even as his government faced incessant criticism over alleged abuses in his administration’s war on drugs.

The Philippines is a signatory to various international conventions against torture and on the protection of the rights of the child, migrant workers and their families, persons with disabilities as well as the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, among others.

“I am proud that the Philippines is one of the few countries that signed many of the world’s core human rights treaties,” Duterte said in a taped message to the 2020 Human Rights Summit hosted by the Department of Justice.

“This affirms our serious commitment in honoring and fulfilling our treaty obligations and prioritizing the human rights agenda as a means to achieve our country’s sustainable development goals.”

The President also urged everyone “to strengthen the multi-sectoral engagement that would foster a healthy human rights environment for all.”

“Let me however stress that our work is far from over,” he said.

In October, the United Nations Human Rights Council offered to provide technical cooperation and capacity building for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Philippines.

The assistance will be for domestic investigative and accountability measures, data gathering on alleged police violations, civic space and engagement with civil society and the Commission on Human Rights, national mechanisms for reporting and follow-up, counter-terrorism legislation, and human rights-based approaches to drug control.

Malacañang welcomed the offer and assured that the Philippines would “fully cooperate” with the UN human rights body.

Duterte remains popular among Filipinos despite criticisms over the alleged unlawful killings of drug suspects under his signature policy.

Last week, the President called on the law enforcement agencies, the prosecution service, and the judiciary “to never waver in their difficult yet rewarding task” of fighting the drug menace. --KBK, GMA News