Bernie Sanders “grandstanding” over PH “human rights abuses” remark – Palace official

November 17, 2019

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar on Sunday slammed United States Senator Bernie Sanders for his remark on Philippine government's "abhorrent" human rights abuses.

In a tweet on Friday, Sanders called out the government regarding a report by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

"In recent years, we have seen abhorrent human rights abuses by the Philippine government. This repression of trade unionists is a shameful attempt to silence people's rights and freedoms," Sanders said.

"More than ever, we must stand on the side of global human rights,” he further wrote.

The report cited by Sanders titled: "Philippines: Government Crackdown Targets Unions" stated that the government is "targeting human and trade union rights defenders as part of a deliberate political strategy that relies on the suppression of people’s rights and freedoms."

"This latest crackdown occurs amid a broader climate of government repression in the Philippines. The ‘war on drugs’ has been responsible for a reported 27,000 extra-judicial killings since it was launched by President Duterte in 2016," the ITUC report read.

However, Andanar in a statement blasted Sanders describing him as "grandstanding on an issue he obviously does not know the details of."

The PCOO secretary also accused Sanders of meddling with national affairs.

"What we find abhorrent is that Senator Bernie Sanders and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) refuse to closely look at the facts at hand, and instead choose to make blanket statements that the Philippine government supposedly violates human rights," said Andanar in a statement.

He added that the alleged "government abuse" cited by both Sanders and ITUC were false as the operations were done peacefully, leaving no individuals injured.

The Palace official also said all captured individuals were immediately released following the said operations.

"To reiterate, the Philippine government has no policy on state-sponsored killings. The reality is that suspected drug abusers refuse to subject themselves to the police and resort to violence-- resulting to unfortunate deaths on both sides," he explained.

The Palace official also clarified that the government respects and supports global human rights. He blamed "false narratives" spread by detractors for the information regarding the government's supposed human rights abuses.

Andanar urged critics to verify facts "as some may fall victim to the lies peddled by communist terrorists--terrorists that have humanitarian organizations fronts who seek funding from other legitimate international institutions, only to be used for violence." Cristina Eloisa Baclig/DMS