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President Rodrigo Duterte
MANILA, Philippines — Despite criticisms over bloody war against drugs and other political moves,, Malacañang said President Rodrigo Duterte fulfilled his promises to pursue social justice and advance human rights in the country.
In celebration of International Human Rights Day, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said Duterte “consistently introduced and implemented programs and projects to reduce inequalities and advance human rights” in the country.
“More than five years ago, the President made a promise that his administration will pursue social justice based on equal treatment and protection for our country’s poorest and most vulnerable, bring about improvement in our people’s welfare and standard of living, and make human rights work to uplift human dignity,” Medialdea said in a statement read by acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles.
“We all have seen those promises fulfilled even in the midst of a pandemic, which has affected us all,” Medialdea added.
Medialdea cited several programs of the Duterte administration such as free tertiary education, universal access to health care, infrastructure development, social amelioration, the COVID-19 pandemic response, and the campaign against illegal drugs.
“Further, the administration has given its utmost effort to curb the proliferation of illegal drugs and criminality, to put an end to the decades-long struggle against local and international terrorists, and to eliminate deeply entrenched corruption in many government offices,” Medialdea said.
“The success of these endeavors has benefited our people who deserve protection and justice as much as the rest of us. The innocent victims have suffered at the hands of heavy drug users, terror groups, corrupt government officials, and criminals,” he added.
The Duterte administration has drawn criticisms for its supposed human rights violations, particularly in the controversial campaign against illegal drugs.
In September, the Investigate PH, an independent human rights group, reported that human rights violations in the Philippines have escalated since the release of the June 2020 report of the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights.
There was a 50 to 70 percent increase in drug war killings per month during the COVID-19 lockdown, the group said.
Duterte is also facing a probe before the International Criminal Court (ICC) over crimes against humanity cases filed against him for the campaign against illegal drugs.