THE Philippines will not leave the United Nations despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s “profound frustration and disappointment” over the statements from the international organization, Foreign Affairs said Monday.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay defended Duterte, saying the President’s statement was made in the “wee hours” when he was already tired, disappointed, frustrated, angry and bombarded with questions from the press.
“He is only human,” Yasay told the reporters after Duterte threatened to leave the UN because it was meddling in the country.
Malacañang on Monday also said the Philippines was not quitting the UN.
“He was reiterating national sovereignty and the fact that he did not welcome interventions that would be considered meddling… We are not decoupling,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella told reporters.
Yasay slammed the statements of UN Special Rapporteurs on Summary Executions Agnes Callamard and Right on Health Dainius PÅ«ras and reminded them that the UN must follow certain procedures and protocols before making any statement.
He said the statements of Callamard and PÅ«ras did not reflect the sentiments of the UN.
“In this particular instance, these are just statements coming from two rapporteurs who are independent contractors, independent experts, and so these are not to be considered United Nations statements,” Yasay said.
On Thursday, Callamard and PÅ«ras urged Duterte to end the wave of extra-judicial executions and killings of alleged drug users and pushers. Sara Susanne D. Fabunan and John Paolo Bencito
Callamard warned Duterte that his fight against the illicit drug trade did not absolve him from the Philippines’ international legal obligations and would not shield him from any liabilities for illegal killings.
“We call on the Philippines’ authorities to adopt with immediate effect the necessary measures to protect all persons from targeted killings and extra-judicial executions,” Callamard said.
But Yasay said it was “highly irresponsible” for the two rapporteurs to make a statement and “solely rely” on such allegations based on “information” from unnamed sources “without proper substantiation.”
At 1 a.m. on Sunday, Duterte told reporters he might pull the Philippines out of the United Nations.
“Maybe we’ll just have to decide to separate from the United Nations. If you are that disrespectful, son of a whore, then I will just leave you,” Duterte said in Tagalog.
But Yasay said Monday the government would not pull the Philippines out of UN, and that it remained committed to the international agency.
“We are committed to the UN despite our numerous frustrations and disappointments with this international agency. But we are certainly not leaving the UN,” Yasay said.