MANILA, Philippines — Even if the Philippines were to accept a majority of the recommendations made by member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), a watchdog said this would not be enough if Manila will not to rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Mervin Toquero, co-head of delegation of the PH UPR (Universal Periodic Review) Watch, said rejoining or at least even cooperating with the ICC “will send a message against those committing human rights violations in the total climate of impunity.”
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“Those 215 won’t matter on the ground because recommendations that matter are only noted by the Philippine government, [which are] recommendations like reacceeding to the Rome Statute of the ICC,” Toquero told the ABS-CBN News Channel’s "The Rundown" on Monday.
The PH UPR is currently in Switzerland to take part in the 52nd regular session of the UNHRC’s adoption of recommendations made in the 4th UPR in November last year.
The Philippines, under the Marcos Jr. administration, again asked the ICC to suspend its investigation into the bloody “war on drugs” of the previous administration.
Manila has continuously rejected the investigation of the ICC, saying again that the Hague-based international court does not hold jurisdiction over the country.
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What can the government do?
Official police figures back home show at least 6,117 deaths in anti-drug operations since 2016. However, rights groups peg the real number of casualties at around 30,000 deaths.
The Human Rights Watch previously said “drug war” killings continue under the Marcos Jr.'s helm, and Toquero told the UN body last week that there were at least 223 drug-related killings under the new administration.
Cristina Palabay, co-head of delegation at PH UPR Watch, said that the least the government can do is acknowledge what really happens on the ground on top of making it genuine their plans to protect human rights and HR defenders in the country, either through policy pronouncements or through government action.
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“If there’s no acknowledgement, we can’t move forward towards justice,” Palabay said. “How can you make perpetrators in government accountable when you do not acknowledge that they were the ones who perpetrated such forms of, as we call it, state terrorism or violence?” – Kaycee Valmonte