Withdrawal from UN carries heavy costs
The Department of Foreign Affairs hurriedly denied on Sunday a threat made by President Duterte that the Philippines was withdrawing from the United Nations. Mr. Duterte hurled the threat in response to “irresponsible statements” of a UN rapporteur criticizing the summary killings of drug suspects in the administration’s war on drugs.
UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard had voiced concern over the rapid increase of people being killed, over the first six weeks alone of the Duterte presidency.
The President shocked the international community when he blasted back the UN for meddling in the internal affairs of the country, in a pre-dawn press conference. He denounced as “stupid” UN criticism of his campaign.
“Maybe we just have to separate from the United Nations,” the President said. “If you are that rude, we might just as well leave.” Mr. Duterte also lashed at the rapporteur for breaking protocol when she issued a statement criticizing his administration. “You do not just throw that kind of accusations… even without coming here,” he said. “You are just relying on reports and tabloids. That’s what you do.”
Reminding the UN that he was not just a mayor anymore, he demanded to see UN rapporteur in the Philippines or somewhere else. “Let them talk to me and face me with hard facts.” He was speaking apparently oblivious of the fact that UN rapporteurs are not his subalterns from Davao, who come visiting to pay him homage.
Even as the body count of dead bodies increased each day, Duterte derided the UN as “inutile” (useless), could not end wars and maintain peace among its members, and had not done any good for the Philippines. “So, take us out of your organization. You have done nothing. When were you here last time? Never. Except to criticize. When have you done a good deed to my country?”
The UN should refund the country’s financial contribution “so we can go out. I can build so many rehabilitation centers with that amount,” he said. He then spun out the possibility of a new intergovernmental organization with China and African countries to replace the UN.
In an attempt to make up for the damage wrought by Duterte’s incendiary outburst, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay was prompted to hold a press briefing on Monday, declaring that “we are committed to the UN despite our numerous frustrations and disappointments with this international organization, but we are certainly not leaving the UN.” He said the President’s statement was a mere statement “expressing profound disappointments and should not indicate a threat to leave the UN.”
Yasay tried to reassure that the President had already made assurances that he will respect human rights and firmly stands against the illegal killing of people for drug-related offenses. Yasay said UN rapporteurs can investigate but “[w]hat’s the use when they have conclusions that are unverified?” The rapporteurs welcomed the challenge to look into the mounting death toll attributed to the brutal no-prisoners-taken anti-drug campaign that has claimed hundreds of lives over the past two months.
The credibility of Yasay’s explanation had been undermined by the President’s statement that the UN rapporteurs were unwelcomed because their presence as observers constituted interference in the country’s internal affairs.
Earlier, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella, who is from Davao, said the government did not extend any invitation to any third-party observer. The “drug situation is being responsibly addressed by Philippine authorities,” he assured.
By killing suspects without the benefit of due process, fair investigation and trial, before they are dispatched to the killing fields in black plastic bags?
Two senior Philippine diplomats, who requested anonymity, have raised concerns about withdrawal of the Philippines from the UN, saying that his language should reflect our ideals. They pointed out that the Philippines was a key player in the UN and a signatory to major UN conventions on human rights. One of the diplomats said that under the Constitution, crime suspects are entitled to due process and “should not be killed outright.”
He continued, “The President is a lawyer by profession. He should know legal procedures,” thus, should behave as a statesman and not as a thug. The systematic killing of people involved in drugs constitutes a crime against humanity under the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). More than 1,500 drug suspects have been killed by the police and vigilantes since Duterte took office, the diplomat noted.
The ICC, known as a court of last resort, handles genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. “The Philippines is a signatory to the statute, and there is no immunity for presidents there,” the diplomat said. “President Duterte should be reminded the Philippines signed the Rome Statute that punishes crimes against humanity,” he warned.
Amando Doronila was a regular columnist of the Inquirer from 1994 to May 2016.
