The Philippine government welcomed a resolution by a United Nations (UN) body that fell short of an international investigation of rights violations linked to President Duterte’s war on drugs and other policies that local and foreign human rights groups had been pushing for.
The groups said they were disappointed with the resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Wednesday and that they would go ahead with their own probe, which would involve international human rights organizations.
Peter Murphy, chair of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, on Thursday said working groups for a global independent investigation had already been formed.
“Now that the human rights crisis has been brought center stage, the world is watching the Philippines even more closely. The need for an independent international investigation can no longer wait,” he said.
Under the resolution, the UNHRC will provide “technical assistance and capacity-building” to help the Duterte administration ensure unlawful killings and other human rights violations are properly investigated and prosecuted. It was sponsored by the Philippines, Iceland and six other countries at the council’s meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.
It urged High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet to “provide support for the country in its continued fulfillment of its international human rights obligations and commitments.”
Palace cooperation
Malacañang vowed to cooperate with the UNHRC, which noted the country’s efforts to resolve alleged rights violations in the antinarcotics war.
“That shows that the UNHRC still trusts institutions which can hold accountable those who violate the human rights of our countrymen,” said presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.
“This latest resolution of the UNHRC extending technical assistance to us, it’s very much appreciated,” he said. “What the President does not like is criticisms without solutions, which the known enemies of government often do.”
Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the resolution showed that UN officials had listened to the Philippines’ explanations on the drug war and realized that instead of “naming and shaming, especially without evidence,” it would be better to help the country.
“I said, do you think it’s in our interest to fight drugs if we were really bad people? If we were a bad people, we would promote drugs the way it’s happening in Central American countries. No, we’re fighting the most lucrative business in the world and we’re doing it because we want to end this scourge, so please help us,” he told senators during a hearing on Thursday on the budget of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Locsin, however, said Manila would not cooperate with Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard and others “who already prejudged what happened in the Philippines.”
‘Relief’ for PNP
Police Col. Ysmael Yu, spokesperson for the Philippine National Police, said the UN assistance would further promote “our own advocacy to protect, respect and fulfill human rights in all aspects of police operation” and uphold the rule of law.
Yu said the resolution was a “relief” for the PNP, which has been accused of extrajudicial killings in the drug war.
“It’s nothing to celebrate,” he said in a phone interview with the Inquirer.
Yu said the police were “open to any inquiry … as long as the President is there with us.”
According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, 5,856 drug suspects were killed from July 1, 2016 to Aug. 31 this year. But human rights groups claim that the death toll could be as high as 27,000.
The Philippines’ ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Evan Garcia, said the government had “identified projects for the joint program in the areas of strengthening investigative and accountability mechanisms, the establishment of compliance monitoring systems for the national police and engagement with civil society.”
The resolution cited similar areas in which the United Nations could provide technical assistance.
‘Missed opportunity’
Technical assistance usually entails mutual cooperation between the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) and the subject state. This includes human rights assessment, advisory services on institution building and legislation work, workshops and sharing of best practices.
But activists said it fell short of their appeals to establish an international investigative mechanism, given that the resolution followed a landmark UN report that said thousands had been killed in the war on drugs amid “near impunity” for police and incitement to violence by top officials.
The June report concluded that the administration’s policies, particularly its war on drugs, had resulted in “systematic violations, including killings, arbitrary detentions and vilification of dissent.”
Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Philippine researcher at Amnesty International, said the resolution was a “missed opportunity to seek justice for thousands of unlawful killings.”
“The human rights situation in the country warrants more than just ‘technical assistance’ from the UN. A full international investigation to effectively address the pervasive impunity in the country is urgently needed,” she said.
Edre Olalia, president of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, said that by cosponsoring the resolution, the Philippines tried to “to mollify, appease or assuage the cries for justice” in a “tactical” move to tone down “stronger and more critical recommendations.”
Laila Matar, UN deputy director for the US-based Human Rights Watch reminded “Duterte and the state forces behind the brutal campaign are not off the hook and will face continued examination.”
Continued scrutiny
“The adopted resolution means the Duterte administration cannot escape scrutiny for its egregious violations,” Matar said.
The resolution places the Philippines’ human rights situation for at least two more years on the UNHRC agenda.
Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay challenged the Duterte administration to cooperate with the OHCHR “because otherwise, this would only prove and validate our position that it’s all to assuage and preempt further action.” —WITH REPORTS FROM LEILA B. SALAVERRIA, NESTOR CORRALES AND REUTERS