Philippines, US discuss drug-related killings

MANILA, Philippines - The United States has not only made clear its concerns over extrajudicial killings in the Philippines but is discussing them “privately” with the Duterte administration, the US State Department said.

“I would say that we continue to engage with the government of the Philippines on our concerns privately, as well as from the podium, and raise those. It’s hard for me to characterize how seriously they take that. We continue to raise it,” State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said in a press briefing when asked about President Duterte’s attacks against Sen. Leila de Lima in the same week Washington expressed concerns over drug-related killings in the Philippines.

The President accused De Lima of being in the center of a drug matrix at the national penitentiary when she was justice chief during the previous administration.

The US and the Philippines have a “frank and open enough relationship that we can have those conversations,” she said, referring to US admonition to the Duterte administration on human rights.

“As we’ve said both publicly and as we’ve engaged with our very good partners, the Philippines, we’ve spoken about these reports of extrajudicial killings,” she added.

Malacañang, meanwhile, said relations between the Philippines and the US remain strong and solid despite Duterte’s taking offense at the State Department’s voicing concerns over deaths and human rights abuses in his anti-drug campaign.

“We just like to say that we’re open to the opinions and positions of certain governments. But, we’d like to just say, we’d also like to reiterate that the relationship between the US and the Philippines remains basically solid and we do have a good relationship,” presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said.

Trudeau earlier said her country is “deeply concerned” about the reports of extrajudicial killings “by or at the behest of government authorities of individuals who are suspected to have been in drug activity in the Philippines.” She added, “we believe in universal human rights.”

“And we believe that these support long-term security, which is the goal not only for the United States, but also for the Philippines,” she said.

In response, Duterte said the US should not meddle in Philippine affairs, noting it has not solved the killings of blacks by policemen. The President had also slammed UN special rapporteurs on summary executions and the right to health, Agnes Callamard and Dainius Puras for their statement against the rising number of deaths from Duterte’s war on drugs.

Meanwhile, Abella revealed the President is still scouting for a candidate to be next Philippine ambassador to the US.

The President is also looking for a defense secretary after former congressman Gilbert Teo-doro again declined the post. – With Christina Mendez