DILG exec blasts CHR chief for politicking at UN rights meeting

A Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) official on Monday accused Commission on Human Rights chair Chito Gascon of “politicking” at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) meeting in Geneva last week.

DILG Assistant Secretary Epimaco Densing III said Gascon wore a yellow tie with a design of eyeglasses similar to that of former President Aquino when he attended the UNHRC’s universal periodic review of the human rights situation in the Philippines.

“What was quite unusual there was Chairman Chito Gascon was present but he never really expressed support for Philippine delegation…He was wearing a black suit and a yellow tie with eyeglasses,” Densing said during a press conference.

“That was quiet disturbing because, instead of making support…what we saw was some politicking from him, which was quiet saddening,” he said.

Densing said that Gascon had claimed that there were many human rights violations in the government’s war against drugs but has yet to present concrete cases with supporting evidence.

“So, if you are not mentioning any evidence, that there are human rights violations, that is called propaganda. So, Chito Gascon is making a lot of propaganda that there are human rights violations here when there are none,” he said.

Densing also lashed out at the opposition Liberal Party and its allies in Europe for allegedly spreading misinformation about the administration’s war against drugs.

He said European Union officials revealed that they wanted the Philippine government investigated for human rights abuses after receiving “letters from NGOs and the opposition” in the country.

“There is only one opposition in the country and that’s the Liberal Party…they have a very strong relationship with Europe and, of course, I am sure that their partymates, affiliations from other countries, would want the Liberal Party to return to power,” he said.

“I have no doubt that this is their long-term objective if not short term,” he added.