Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has assured the United Nations that the country’s campaign against illegal drugs is waged under commitments to international human rights standards.
The DOJ chief said his department is working with other government agencies in bringing human rights violations to justice and reiterated President Duterte’s assurance of “open and substantive engagement with the United Nations”.
In his online message to the UN Joint Program on Human Rights on Sunday night, Guevarra said “the Philippine government reiterates its commitment to fulfill its international obligations to respect, protect, and promote human rights of our citizens without fear, favor or prejudice consistent with our Constitution and the interests and welfare of the Filipino people”.
Administrative Order (AO) No. 35, which investigates gross violation of human rights and humanitarian law, holds accountable humanitarian law violations by terror groups long known to recruit minors and use prohibited weapons, such as anti-personnel mines, Guevarra said.
“Presently, the AO 35 mechanism is investigating 1,500 complaints of alleged violations of humanitarian law mostly committed by communist terrorist groups,” Guevarra said.
Cases of illegal drugs are part of AO 35 probes, citing that P60 billion in confiscated contrabands substantiated concerns about the extent of the problem.
“The sheer volume of the drugs seized confirms the gravity of the threats that our communities face from illegal drugs,” Guevarra said.
The DOJ is also working closely with police and other government bodies to look into alleged incidents of human rights violations.
“Our government continued to provide rehabilitation and reintegration programs to assist persons who use drugs in their recovery. More importantly, the entire government has continually reassessed and strengthened its policy and institutional frameworks in our resolute and committed effort to ensure that the pursuit of justice, accountability, and the rule of law remain integral elements of our country’s anti-drug campaign,” he said.
The DOJ, Guevarra said, had gained access to 52 cases investigated by the Philippine National Police’s Internal Affairs Service.