Cayetano slams HRW anew: You owe us an apology

MANILA, Philippines — DFA Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano once again slammed New York-based Human Rights Watch for "politicizing" the Duterte administration's so-called war on drugs.

Cayetano accused the international human rights watchdog of skewing numbers following its report that there are more than 12,000 victims of the anti-drug campaign.

"It is about time Human Rights Watch stops politicizing the war we are waging against illegal drugs at the expense of the Philippines and the Filipino people," Cayetano said in a statement released Friday.

"And it owes the Philippines and the rest of the international community not just an explanation but also an apology for making unfair accusations by skewing the real numbers just so it could advance its own agenda," he added.

On Tuesday, the international human rights watchdog said that Cayetano's accusations against them were a distraction strategy.

READ: HRW hits back: Duterte's distraction strategy sidelines demand for accountability

The Philippines' top diplomat said that HRW's accusations against the government were not "just misrepresentation" but "outright deception."

"Our only question and challenge to Human Rights Watch is for it to explain how it was able to arrive at its numbers when it has not really done any real investigation on the ground," Cayetano said in a statement released Friday.

Cayetano stressed that the more than 12,000 victims of the drug war could not be possible as the human rights watchdog did not consider the number of homicides and murder. He accused HRW of creating the impression that the Philippines is engaged in "the wholesale slaughter of innocent people."

READ: Philippines in 'worst human rights crisis' since Marcos

Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Cayetano said that a total of 79,417 homicides and murders or an average of 13,236 per year were recorded from 2010 to 2015, the first five years of the Aquino administration.

Data fro the Philippine National Police, on the other hand, showed a total of 77,468 murders and homicides or an average of 12,911 per year were observed in the same period.

For the first year of the Duterte administration, the police recorded a total of 18,491 homicides, 3,968 of whom were drug suspects.

"Of course, there is no perfect law enforcement system. While we strive to ensure that we respect the rights of everyone, including criminal suspects, the reality is that illegal drug syndicates are also capable of unleashing violence," the DFA chief said.

The DFA secretary further accused HRW of ignoring the government's obligation to ensure the Filipino people's safety and setting aside the stories of victims of the crimes committed by drug suspects.

"If Human Rights Watch decides to take a closer look, it would discover that majority of Filipinos actually feel much safer now as a result of our government’s efforts to address the problem of illegal drugs," Cayetano said.

Cayetano also claimed that there is an 8.44-percent decline in crime volume from January to October 2016. He also cited a Pulse Asia survey that showed that 88 percent of Filipinos support the government's campaign against illegal drugs. A Social Weather Station survey, meanwhile, observed a 77-percent public satisfaction rating for the drug war.

"The reason we took Human Rights Watch to task a few days ago was because it has consistently and deliberately been misleading the international community by making it appear that the Philippines has become the Wild, Wild West of Asia where we just kill people left and right," Cayetano said.

READ: Cayetano slams Human Rights Watch for 'misleading' international community