Panelo to UN: Come here before you open your mouth

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo said the United Nations' (UN) special rapporteur should have first visited the Philippines before making comments on the extrajudicial killings of alleged drug suspects.

 

Panelo said the special rapporteur should have come to the Philippines "in the first place before they open their mouth."

 

"You're 10,000 miles away and you cannot be saying that unless you come here and see for yourselves," he said in an interview over ANC's "Headstart."

 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN Special Rapporteur on Summary Executions Agnes Callamard have condemned the stark rise in extrajudicial killings in the country following the government's relentless drug war.

 

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Special rapporteurs of the UN could only conduct fact-finding missions to a country that invited them.

 

This week, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein asked the Philippine government to extend an invitation to the special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

 

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During the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit last week, Panelo approached Ban and US President Barack Obama to address them on criticisms against President Rodrigo Duterte.

 

Panelo said he told Ban that perpetrators of extrajudicial killings were drug syndicates and not the government. He said there are many killings because there are thousands of surrenderees who are going to reveal information about their colleagues.

 

"Now if you are one of their colleagues, what would you do? You're going to protect yourself and kill them," Panelo explained, adding that the police committed no abuse.

 

Panelo said he also told Obama: "Mr. president, can I escort you to our president?"

 

Obama, however, declined saying that he already talked with Duterte.

 

Responding to criticisms that what he did was a breach of of diplomatic protocol, Panelo said that when the president of the Philippines and the country itself is being attacked "defense of that president or the country defies protocol."

 

"Any opportunity you have, you grab at it and defend your president," he added.

 

Many have raised concern on the conflicting statements on issues by the Duterte administration.

 

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Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay said the administration should have one voice to avoid confusion.