Malacañang on Monday rejected the use of “yantok” or rattan sticks to beat those who violate COVID-19 physical distancing protocols during the holiday season when shoppers are likely to crowd together in malls.
The police plan to use rattan sticks to enforce physical distancing came as President Rodrigo Duterte told a human rights summit organized by the Department of Justice that the Philippines is seriously committed to prioritizing human rights, and called for increased commitment to promoting a “healthy” human rights environment.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said he agreed with Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.’s tweet expressing opposition to the use of rattan sticks against physical distancing violators.
“I think Secretary Locsin is right here, this cannot be used as something to hit quarantine violators because that is not allowed under our laws and regulations of the Philippine National Police,” he said in Filipino.
While rattan sticks could be used to measure the one-meter physical distance requirement, he said these should not be used to harm anyone.
In a tweet on Monday, Locsin shared a photo of a nun holding a meter stick, with the caption: "This is the only ‘yantok' we will accept and only from someone in her uniform. Anyone else in any other uniform can go f*ck a duck."
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Sunday said the rattan sticks will only be used for measurement and not for hitting anyone.
Año said existing sanctions and penalties for violators like fines and imprisonment remain.
However, he said rattan sticks may also be used as self-defense if criminals attack the law enforcers.
The Commission on Human Rights earlier cautioned the government over threats to use rattan sticks against violators, saying the use of force and actions that may lead to humiliation and trauma is unnecessary.
CHR spokesperson lawyer Jacqueline Ann de Guia said human rights and dignity must be respected at all times and situations including the enforcement of quarantine protocols.
In a taped message, President Duterte welcomed the Human Rights summit as “an effective platform for the international community to improve cooperation in protecting and promoting human rights.”
“I am proud that the Philippines is one of the few countries that signed many of the world’s core human rights treaties. This affirms our serious commitment in honoring and fulfilling our treaty obligations and prioritizing the human rights agenda as a means to achieve our country’s sustainable development goals,” he added.
Duterte, denounced by rights group for his bloody war on drugs, pulled the country out of the International Criminal Court in 2018, after it launched a preliminary inquiry into accusations that he and other Philippine officials committed mass murder and crimes against humanity in the course of the drug crackdown.
But Duterte said he did not care what human rights groups said about the killings and alleged human rights violations in his anti-drug campaign.