AI: HR violations continue in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang yesterday dismissed as “recycled issues” and “false narratives” the alleged human rights violations cited in a latest report of rights watchdog Amnesty International (AI).

According to the AI 2021-2022 report, lack of accountability continued to facilitate unlawful killings and other human rights violations under the government’s war on drugs.

Human rights defenders, political activists and politicians were subjected to unlawful killings, arbitrary arrest and detention and harassment, the report added.

The group also criticized the supposed inadequate access to health care and mentioned the cases filed against Ressa, for which she could face up to 60 years in prison if found guilty.

Acting presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said the report of the AI, a group that has been critical of the Duterte administration’s policies including its war against drugs, was never vetted with the Philippine government.

“We consider the Amnesty International Report 2021-2022 as simply a cut-and-paste collection of recycled issues and arguments used by perennial detractors and critics of the Duterte administration,” Andanar said in a statement.

“Sadly, AI’s reports were never vetted with the Philippine government if only to authenticate their information. The absence of such vetting relegates AI’s report to a mere false rehash,” he added.

Andanar said the AI report contained “false narratives” about the drug crackdown and the issues surrounding journalist Maria Ressa and detained opposition Sen. Leila de Lima, matters that he said have been previously answered.

The AI report called De Lima, who is in jail over drug-related charges, a “prisoner of conscience.”

“Sadly, without the benefit of fact-checking, AI even referred to the government’s COVID-19 response as ‘mishandling,’ which is far from the truth as all regions in the Philippines are presently at minimal risk case classification,” Andanar said.

Andanar urged the AI to sit down with the government to clarify whatever concerns them.

He urged the rights watchdog to engage with the Presidential Human Rights Committee Secretariat and discuss and resolve the issues it raised in its report.

“In all this, let it not be missed out, especially by AI, that the Philippines’ election to a fifth term in the United Nations Human Rights Council is a recognition by this global body of the government’s faithful adherence to promote, protect and fulfill the human rights of the Filipino people,” Andanar added. – Rhodina Villanueva