Duterte: Troops, cops need clearance to appear before CHR

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte is now requiring police and soldiers to secure clearance from him before facing investigations as he accused the Commission on Human Rights of being “one-sided” against government troops.

 

Duterte said he is ready to face off with investigating bodies if they intimidate members of security forces.

 

“I will not allow my men to go there to be investigated. Remember this. Human Rights Commission, you address your request through me because the Armed Forces is under me and the police is under me,” the president said in a press briefing after his second state of the nation address (SONA) last Monday.

 

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo required similar clearances for legislative inquiries through Executive Order 464, which has since been revoked. Arroyo cited executive privilege, which prohibits public officials from divulging "confidential or classified information officially known to them by reason of their office."

 

“Kaya pag kinwestion ninyo sila for investigation, dadaan muna sa akin… Takot-takutin nila ‘yang ano… So huwag ninyo akong pilitin na pati kayo, babanggain. (If you question them for investigation, it has to go through me. Do not intimidate them. Do not force me because I can clash with you),” he added.

 

Duterte also asked the ombudsman not to cite soldiers and police officers in contempt because he has the final say on whether they would attend its investigations.  

 

“Everything has to go through me… Whoever you will investigate, you have to course it through me. You address it to the DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government… If I say do not allow yourself to be investigated, you will not allow yourself to be investigated,” Duterte said.

 

He said the Philippines would have problems if he clashes with the Commission on Human Rights and the Ombudsman.

 

The CHR has in the past criticized the alleged extrajudicial killings linked to Duterte’s intensified law enforcement efforts against illegal drugs. Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales also claimed in a recent interview that Duterte is goading people to kill drug offenders to solve the narcotics problem in the country.

 

Duterte’s clampdown on illegal drugs has left about 9,000 people dead according to earlier media reports but officials dismissed them as “false news.”

Duterte said the CHR should not be one-sided in investigating human rights violations in the country.

 

He said the commission should first investigate the ambush on the Presidential Security Group convoy in Arakan, North Cotabato this month that left one militia man dead and five government troopers wounded. He said investigations of the CHR and ombudsman should not be solely focused on government personnel.

 

The Commission on Human Rights is particularly mandated to look promote the protection of human rights and to look into potential abuses by government. The Office of the Ombudsman, meanwhile, was created to probe and prosecute corruption in government.

 

“If you fail to address also the atrocities of the other side, so that you can get the truth and the whole story, then do not investigate my army and police,” the president said.

 

“Do not make it a one-sided affair. I will not allow it. As President, I will not allow it. Patas tayo (It should be fair). Justice for all. What is sauce for the gander is sauce for the goose. If you have not as yet investigated the deaths of my police and military men, then do not f*** with us,” he added.

 

Duterte said the CHR, a commission created by the 1987 Constitution that exists independent of the three branches of government, should just be abolished and encouraged security forces to do their jobs without restraint.

 

“So I am ordering the military and the police, walang patawaran kasi hindi naman tayo pinapatawad (There should be no mercy because they are not showing us mercy). And they are making excuses if they cannot boot them out of the job - dereliction of duty, abandonment of duty. These poor guys are putting their lives at stake,” he said.

 

“So this time, you do it to me, do it to my police and my Army, they will do it to you. Kanya-kanya na tayo ng diskarte (We have our own style). And when the time comes, ‘CHR, the office here, you are better abolished.”

 

The president also dared CHR chairman Chito Gascon to join the security forces operating in battle-ravaged Marawi City.

 

“Sino ‘yang g*** na ‘yan sa CHR? Sino ‘yan (Who’s that fool in CHR)? Chito Gascon. Sige. Ikaw magpunta doon. Ikaw ang mag-direct sa traffic, saan sila magpasok (Go there and direct the traffic and tell them where to go),” Duterte said.

 

“Bring them back and we won’t interfere…If you believe in human rights, Gascon, go ahead, go there or withdraw the military,” he added.

 

“Lead those who will enter the area. ‘Pag may namatay diyan, ikaw ang talian ko sa poste doon. Praktisan ka ng mga sundalo how to improve their accuracy (If somebody dies there, I will tie you in a post and allow my soldiers to use you for their target practice to improve their accuracy).”

 

The president's argument echoes those of online commenters who criticize the CHR and human rights advocacy groups. The CHR and human rights advocates have been the subject of criticism online because of a perceived bias for suspected criminals.