US withdrawal in UN rights council reflects Duterte’s sentiment, but Philippines won’t follow

June 21, 2018

Malacanang said on Thursday the latest move of the United States to leave the United Nations Human Rights Council was a reflection of President Rodrigo Duterte's sentiment against human rights groups.

In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, however, said that the Philippines was not following the US action.

"You know the president is very careful, never to comment on sovereign decision. In the same way that he does not want other states commenting on domestic sovereign decisions. So we leave it at that. That’s the decision of the Americans, so be it," he said.

While the Philippines is also a member of the UNHRC, "we are not following suit," he said.

Asked if the move of the US somehow was a confirmation of Duterte's previous statements, criticizing the UNHRC, Roque said, "Well, I guess the latest decision of the United States reflects a sentiment that the President himself has articulated and apparently we are not alone in this perception that there is bias amongst human rights groups."

Duterte earlier slammed UNHRC chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein after saying the Philippine leader needs to submit himself to some sort of psychiatric evaluation.

This was after the Duterte administration included a Filipino UN rapporteur in the list of terrorists, including some members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army, on its petition before the court to declare them as terrorists.

Zeid was also critical of the Duterte administration's bloody war on drugs. Celerina Monte/DMS