MALACAÑANG on Saturday reiterated the government’s commitment to uphold human rights after the US State Department released its annual global human rights report which criticized the Philippines for the rights situation in the country.
But the contents of the report were overshadowed by criticism of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who did not give the traditional fanfare associated with the report which was largely completed during the Obama administration.
Tillerson wrote a brief preface to the report which surveys the rights record of 199 countries, including the Philippines, but there was no event to mark the report’s launch and the State Department provided only an anonymous “senior administration official” to respond to reporters’ questions.
Asked why the secretary did not appear in public or before a camera to reaffirm this commitment, the official pointed to his testimony at his confirmation hearing in January.
At this hearing, the former oil executive said US leadership “requires moral clarity” and that “American values are our interests when it comes to human rights and humanitarian assistance.”
But he added: “It is unreasonable to expect that every foreign policy endeavor will be driven by human rights considerations alone, especially when the security of the American people is at stake.”
When asked his view of the President Rodrigo Duterte’s war against drugs during his confirmation hearing in January, Tillerson said he needed to first see “the facts on the ground” before commenting.
Tillerson during his January confirmation hearings said the US and the Philippines have a longstanding friendship and that it was important to keep that in perspective when engaging with the Philippines. “They have been an ally. We have to ensure that they stay an ally,” he said.
The annual “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices” does not have any legal status. The United States continues to supply weapons and foreign aid to many of the countries criticized every year.
But hundreds of US diplomats in missions around the world contribute to what they see as a major tool for informing and lobbying policy-makers and encouraging rights activists at home and abroad.
Malacañang, meanwhile, insisted it is not the policy of the Philippines to tolerate vigilante-style killings.
“The Philippine government is firmly committed to upholding human rights. Vigilante or extrajudicial killings are unlawful and are therefore not sanctioned. The government condemns such practice,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.
“These are not to be confused with the government’s war on illegal drugs, which is an urgent and critical domestic matter. An emerging narco state impinges on every Filipino citizen’s right to live in peace and should be dealt with firmly, in conformity to the country’s established human rights principles and in accordance with the rule of law,” he added.
The President has ordered the appropriate law enforcement institutions to take decisive legal steps to ensure accountability, the Palace official said.
“We will arrest, investigate, prosecute and punish the scalawags in uniform, while also pursuing reform in these institutions so that they can more effectively conduct this noble crusade,” Abella said.
“We hope the international community will support us in this effort,” he added.
