Duterte's SONA statements on drug war 'old rhetoric,' says HRW

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday expressed dissatisfaction over President Rodrigo Duterte’s final State of the Nation Address (SONA), calling out his “tired, old rhetoric” on his government's drug war.

HRW senior Philippines researcher Carlos H. Conde questioned the country’s commitment to its new human rights program with the United Nations after Duterte again cited “accomplishments” in the war on drugs.

“The true test of the administration’s sincerity will be its willingness to end state-sanctioned killings and uphold its international human rights obligations,” Conde said.

According to the HRW, the UN and the Philippine government have formalized a “human rights program” to address the country’s human rights problems.

The HRW and other organizations have urged the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to launch an independent probe into the drug war killings in the Philippines.

“Instead, the council paved the way for the creation of a program that has been criticized by rights defenders as deeply inadequate,” Conde said.

For the HRW, UN’s support — which engages the government to improve investigations, increase data-gathering about police violations, and encourage a human rights-based approach to drug control — will not address the core issue.

“The program has no prospect of convincing Duterte to reverse course and hold abusive officials to account,” he said.

“The agreement with the UN should not by itself be considered progress, which should be measured by accountability and effective reforms,” Conde added.

Conde advised the Philippine government to support genuine accountability and cooperate with the ICC investigation. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA News