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Rodrigo Duterte Menardo Guevarra
In a taped speech Monday, President Duterte said the country remained committed to making human rights a priority while pushing for broader cooperation between different sectors to better protect these rights.
Speaking to participants in the first Human Rights Summit 2020, Mr. Duterte called the event an “effective platform for the international community to enhance collaboration in the protection and promotion of human rights.”
He said that the country was one of the few that had signed many of the fundamental human rights treaties, thus affirming “our serious commitment to honor and fulfill the obligations of our treaties and to prioritize the human rights agenda as a means to achieve the sustainable development goals of our country. “
Allow me, however, to emphasize that our work is far from over. I urge everyone to strengthen multisectoral engagement that will foster a healthy human rights environment for all, ”Duterte said.
His remarks contrasted with his comments last week that again ridiculed human rights defenders critical of his war on drugs that left thousands dead.
Since taking office, the president has been at odds with rights organizations, including international groups he has accused of meddling in the country’s affairs.
In a speech in Cavite last week during the destruction of seized narcotics, he accused human rights defenders of being “concerned about the health and lives of the criminals who are drug dealers and drug lords.”
Tainted testimony
“To this day, I tell human rights, I don’t give a shit,” Duterte said.
In his opening speech at the three-day summit, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said that the rules for the implementation of the new anti-terrorism law that his department had drawn up guaranteed the protection of people’s civil and political rights.
“These safeguards, among other measures, have been included in the implementing rules to ensure that the antiterrorist law fulfills its purpose without invading the precious rights and prerogatives of a people under a functioning democracy,” he added.
According to him, the United Nations has offered technical assistance in promoting programs “to ensure that the anti-terrorism rules are in line with the fundamental principles of human rights law.”
Guevarra, however, noted that the witnesses’ refusal to testify was hindering a special inter-agency body run by the Justice Department from investigating the murders of political activists and other cases of human rights violations.
In some cases, the testimony of the witnesses that emerge seems contaminated, tinged with motivations other than the search for the truth, ”he said.
“In many others, the witnesses completely refuse to cooperate. Fear often forces witnesses to remain silent. It is not surprising that some of our investigations are facing a blank wall and not a few cases go cold, “he said. INQ
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