President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed international human rights lawyer Harry Roque as his Presidential Adviser on Human Rights, serving concurrent to his position as the presidential spokesperson.
"Further, being appointed recently as Presidential Adviser on Human Rights concurrent with my being the Presidential Spokesperson, I will take steps to ensure that the Philippines discharges its obligations in protecting and promoting human rights, especially the right to life," Roque said in a statement.
He made the announcement even as he said that United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Agnes Callamard is unfit to investigate President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.
Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador Adnan Alonto assumed his post as the Philippines’ foremost representative to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
A lawyer by profession, Alonto arrived in Riyadh on Nov. 15 along with his wife Jo Alonto and was warmly welcomed by the officers and staff of the Embassy and attached agencies led by Consul General Iric Arribas as well as the Heads of Posts of various Asean countries at the King Khalid International Airport.
A simple get-together for the Ambassador and his wife, officers and staff of the Embassy and attached agencies and some leaders of the Filipino community in Saudi Arabia at the Marriott Residences followed.
Despite enduring the effects of jet lag, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Alonto hit the ground running by reporting for work the following day, a few hours after his arrival in the Kingdom.
He held meetings with the officers of the Embassy and attached agencies in which he emphasized that reforms will be put in place in order for the Embassy to be more responsive to the needs of the overseas Filipinos in the Kingdom and further strengthen the robust relationship between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia.
In a speech before the Filipino community at the International Philippine School in Riyadh on Nov. 17, 2017, Alonto declared that henceforth, the safety and comfort of the Embassy’s clients are of paramount concern.
He said that he issued an order that no Filipino transacting with the Embassy should be made to wait outside the Embassy premises to prevent exposure from the harsh elements.
Alonto earned his AB Political Science degree at the Mindanao State University in 1981 and graduated from the San Beda College of Law in 1985.
After practicing law in the Philippines for almost a decade, Alonto and his family moved to the United States in 1995.
During the 2016 presidential elections, Alonto served as the overall North America Coordinator of the Brotherhood for Duterte-USA.
Alonto came from a family with a long history in public service. His father, the late senator Ahmad Domocao Alonto, was touted as a champion of the rights of Filipino Muslims and was the only Filipino recipient of the prestigious King Faisal Award for Service to Islam. His sister, Soraya Alonto Adiong, is the current governor of Lanao del Sur.