Palace to UN: We have nothing to hide

Malacanang said on Saturday that rapporteurs from the United Nations (UN) are welcome to look into the rising death toll of extrajudicial killings of alleged drug suspects, since they have nothing to hide.

Photo by Philstar

According to Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, despire the absence of formal invitation extended o the UN special rapporteurs, they are still welcome to visit the country and investigate.

“(This is) a clear manifestation that this administration has nothing to hide before the international community,” Andanar said.

On Thursday, UN and the European Union were invited by President Rodrigo Duterte to look into the killings of alleged drug users and pushers in the country. However, the president said that they should engage in a debate during their visit.

“I will write them a letter to invite them for an investigation... But in keeping with the time-honored principle of the right to be heard, after they interpellate me, I would interpellate them. I will ask them one by one in an open forum,” said the President.

Andanar also stated that while they will welcome UN observers and listen to their insights, “they should also listen to what we have to say, both in the spirit of mutual respect and out of genuine recognition of our status as a sovereign nation.”

“The all-out war against illegal drugs being waged by law enforcement (agencies) is a war for national survival,” Andanar said. “The drug menace has permeated the length and breadth of the country, threatening to destroy the very fabric of our society.”

“We know that widespread drug use not only leads to other crimes, it can also turn the country into a narco state where lawlessness prevails and can set back our efforts at achieving inclusive economic growth.”

Since Duterte was inaugurated, there have already been a tally of 3,000 drug suspects killed either by police during operations or unknown vigilante groups.

The President defended that those who were brutally killed could have been slain by their rivals.

Meanwhile, human rights watchdog agreed to the recent statement said by the President against the United States and its military in our country.

Karaptan said that Duterte’s move to call out the US troops and tell them to leave is legitimate because of the human rights violations that they have committed. They cited reports from the Department of National Defense, which stated that there are 107 US military personnel in Mindanao who are conducting surveillance and drone operations.

Crisitna Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan, said that the US government’s concern for the state of human rights in the country is hypocritical. “(The US government) has an undeniable record of perpetrating and instigating the worst forms of human and people’s rights violations in the country and the world over,” Palabay said.

She called on to the president to take concrete steps in order to end US intervention in the country by repealing existing agreements with them, such as the US-RP Mutual Defense Treaty, US-RP Visiting Forces Agreement US-PH Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, and others that legitimate their presence and intervention in the country.

She also urged the president to take care of the extrajudicial killings. “He should call for a stop to the killings, prosecute and hold accountable perpetrators of the extrajudicial killings, including those from the police,” she said.

Karapatan also raised her concern on the president’s call to involve the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the war on drugs. “It is a form of military intervention which justifies American military and financial support for governments to maintain and protect US political and economic influence. It has been proven that US-funded drug wars have not eliminated the drug menace, but have targeted the civilian population in countries struggling for chang,” she said.

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