CALLING for international scrutiny and accountability for the thousands of deaths under President Rodrigo Duterte’s war against drugs, the US-based newspaper The New York Times is calling on Manila’s trade partners to hit the government “where it may hurt the most”—by suspending trade incentives and impose tariffs on Philippine goods.
Malacañang, however, shot back at the US-based publication, claiming that some individuals, including politicians, had paid the US-based publication to carry out its “demolition work” against the President.
In an editorial piece titled “Accountability for Duterte,” the newspaper urged Manila’s trading partners to follow the European Union’s example of threatening to revoke trade privileges to hold Duterte accountable for his alleged support of the killings in his war against drugs.
“Outraged by Mr. Duterte’s behavior, as well as his government’s possible reinstatement of the death penalty and lowering the age for criminal prosecution to 9, the EU has proposed hitting his government where it may hurt the most by imposing tariffs on Philippine goods. Other democratic trading partners should do the same,” the publication said.
It also urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to “initiate a thorough, independent investigation into the killings under Mr. Duterte’s watch.”
“The man [Duterte] is impervious to moral criticism, but he may not be immune forever from legal action,” The New York Times said.
The EU is currently reviewing whether the Philippines can still qualify for trade incentives that are pre-conditioned on compliance with international agreements, including those on human rights.
A monitoring team from the EU recently arrived in the Philippines for an assessment of the country’s trade perks under the Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP+), which allows the Philippines to export to the EU without duties or with reduced tariffs.
The newspaper noted that an impeachment case will not likely prosper in a Congress dominated by the President’s allies, centering on allegations of corruption, supposed murder and crimes against humanity in connection with his anti-drug crackdown.
At the same time, The New York Times issued a 15-minute documentary that delves into the victims of summary killings, their grieving relatives, and the journalists who cover them.
“We sent a film crew to the Philippines, where death, grief and fear fill the streets,” the publication said in a trailer for the documentary “When a President Says, ‘I’ll Kill You,’” highlighting the spate of alleged extrajudicial killings in the country, which was released Sunday.
Among those featured in the documentary is veteran photojournalist Raffy Lerma, who has covered nightly killings of drug suspects in Metro Manila, and a self-confessed hitman who was interviewed by the New-York based newspaper allegedly hired to murder drug suspects.
The video documentary and the editorial form part of the US-based newspaper’s series on the Philippine drug war. Earlier, the NYT released a feature on the President’s rise to the presidency, which was carried by a local broadsheet.
Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella alleged that the 165-year-old publication appears to be part of a “well-funded campaign” to oust Duterte from office.
“The newspaper tries to stir global outrage in a nation that welcomes its newfound peace and order. One can only conclude that certain personalities and politicians have mounted a well-funded campaign utilizing hack writers and their ilk in their bid to oust [President Duterte],” Abella said in a statement.
Abella said the publication’s profile on Duterte depicts his rise to power under “the context of violence” while the editorial mouthed “unsubstantiated claims.”
“NYT’s very obvious demolition work flies in the face of the very high approval [that Duterte] enjoys,” Abella added.
Abella vowed that the administration will not be deterred from fulfilling its promise of building a progressive and inclusive nation free from drugs, crimes and corruption.
This was not the first time The New York Times scrutinized Duterte’s drug war. In August 2016, an editorial cartoon criticizing Duterte’s campaign was released while a special report entitled “They Are Slaughtering Us Like Animals” was published last December.