President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (MALACAÑANG PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is seriously committed to prioritizing human rights, one of the country’s development goals, President Rodrigo Duterte said as he called for an enhanced engagement in fostering a “healthy” human rights environment.
“I welcome this summit as an effective platform for the international community to enhance collaboration in the protection and promotion of human rights,” Duterte said in a pre-recorded message aired Monday during the the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Human Rights summit.
“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.
While he affirmed the country’s commitment to human rights, the President also recognized that the “work is far from over.”
“I urge everyone to strengthen the multi-sectoral engagement that would foster a healthy human rights environment for all,” Duterte said.
The DOJ on Monday convened a three-day Human Rights summit to discuss human rights and protection.
Recent killings and arrests of human rights advocates are expected to be tackled during the summit.
Human rights advocates have been under Duterte’s crosshairs since he assumed the presidency in 2016.
He once threatened to kill human rights activists critical of his bloody war against illegal drugs.
Earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, he urged law enforcers to shoot quarantine violators which once again sparked fierce condemnation from local and international human rights groups.