Palace backs Arroyo’s bid for PH pullout from IPU

Malacañang supports the call of House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the Philippine Senate to withdraw from the Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) over its “interference” in the country’s judicial and political processes.

“I support the call of Speaker Arroyo,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing, adding that this is the official stand of Malacañang.

“Ever since that’s been the stand of the President. We’ve been hearing him making speeches in the same tone,” he added.

Arroyo’s proposal came after the IPU raised concern over the alleged human rights violations against opposition Senators Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes IV, two of President Rodrigo Duterte’s fiercest critics.

The group said they would send an official mission to the Philippines to look into the alleged political persecution of De Lima and Trillanes.

“Well, from the very start our position is no international human rights organization has jurisdiction over us,” Panelo said.

“They’ve been giving conclusions prior to the investigations and they’ve been besmirching this country. This is precisely why we do not want them doing that,” he added.

Panelo, also Duterte’s chief legal counsel, slammed the global organization for making pre-judgment, which he claimed intrudes the country’s sovereignty.

“They’ve been giving pre-judgments and to our mind that’s an intrusion, an insult offensive to the decency of this country, as well as an intrusion to our sovereignty,” he said.  /kga