President Rodrigo Duterte has made the Philippines a “far more dangerous place” by rolling back the Filipinos’ human rights protections instead of making it a safer place, Amnesty International Philippines says.
“Impunity and the lack of accountability have been shamelessly displayed at almost all levels of his administration, failing to meet its basic job to protect the Filipino people and meeting their basic economic needs and civil liberties,” the group said in a statement on Thursday.
Malacañang on Friday rejected the group’s accusation.
“There is no truth to that statement,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement.
He said Amnesty International’s statement contradicted a Social Weather Stations survey showing the victims of common crimes were at a record-low of 6.1 percent in 2017.
But Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel said Amnesty International’s observation “has a hint of truth.”
“I believe the delivery of basic services is more important than this war on drugs,” said Pimentel, chairman of the House committee on good government and public accountability.
AI Philippines section director Jose Noel Olano said the Duterte administration “does not know how to listen” and that his human rights agenda had been “on a downward spiral” since his first State of the Nation Address in 2016.
“While the President said in his 2016 speech that his administration shall be sensitive to the State’s obligation to promote, protect and fulfill human rights, especially the poor, marginalized and the vulnerable; that social justice will be pursued and the rule of law at all times will prevail’, his human rights agenda basically went on a downward spiral from that time onwards,” Olano said.
What contributed to this, he said, was the President’s resistance to recommendations “put forward by more diverse sectors in lieu of the opinion of his few trusted advisors.”
Olano also blamed Duterte’s refusal to accept criticism from the international community.
Earlier this year, Duterte announced the Philippines’ withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, citing its “baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks” against him related to The Hague-based tribunal’s probe into “summary killings” being linked to his administration.
Duterte’s Cabinet had also fired back at the 38 states that urged the Philippine government to put an end to the drug killings.
Olano warned about the consequences that might come from Duterte’s “audacity to smear human rights.”
“It is not only his speeches about keeping our country safe that has become mere lip service but in his audacity to smear human rights, he has rolled back on hard-won human rights protections that are supposed to keep everyone safe,” he said.
“Abandoning human rights values and principles is a failure on his part and comes with a huge cost of essentially guaranteeing that no one can ever be safe because the country has become a far more dangerous place.”
Olano said Duterte had “actively created a climate where anyone can kill or be killed, the poor were the obvious prey but more recently even government officials.”
“By denying Filipinos true and lasting justice, this administration will only fuel despair with no limit or end,” Olano said.
