President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday night he wants his successor to continue his war against illegal drugs, but with more “ferocity” as he expressed worries the drug problem would make a resurgence after his term ends.
In his late-night public address, Duterte said he wants the next President to maintain his administration’s campaign against illegal drugs, but with a different approach.
While expressing that he is not worried about the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) impending investigation into his drug war, the President said the drug problem is so widespread that the fight will go on even after his term ends on June 30, 2022.
“I hope that whoever would sit as President, would continue this—if not the ferocity that I did, and I accept it, maybe even a little lower than my standard,” he said.
In a related development, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has invited the United Nation to send its two special rapporteurs to come for an official visit to the country late this year or next year.
In his virtual speech delivered before the 49th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) last February 28, Secretary Guevarra extended the Philippines invitation to two special rapporteurs.
“The Philippine government has invited two special rapporteurs to undertake official visits to the country between now and next year,” Guevarra told UNHRC members.
“We look forward to work with the Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children late this year, and the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression in 2023,” he said.
The scheduled visits would take place after President Duterte steps down on June 30. But Guevarra assured that even if there would be a change of administration, the Philippine government would remain committed to upholding human rights.
“As ordained by our Constitution and following the holding of our national elections, a change in administration will take place in the Philippines by the 30th of June this year,” the Justice Secretary said.
Duterte said illegal drugs are destroying the country.
“Because it will destroy our country. I am very worried about the resurgence of the drug problem. The continuation of the campaign against illegal drugs would protect the next generation,” the President added.
The President warned that the next administration will have a serious problem in their hands if the drug problem is not mitigated.
“If the drug problem is so serious now, if you don’t meet it with as much intensity, you will lose,” he added.
While reiterating that he is not afraid of the probe to be conducted by the ICC, Duterte said he will never apologize for the fatalities that resulted from his administration’s bloody war on drugs.
The ICC probe was suspended in November 2021 on the request of the Philippine government. The probe stemmed from the complaint of the families of those killed in the drug war and human rights advocates.
“But our country’s commitment to human rights will remain unaffected by the passing incumbency of administrations, rooted as it is on our long history of engagement with this Council and reflected in policies that protect and promote the fundamental rights and freedoms of our people,” Guevarra added.
The Justice chief said the country would remain “positively engaged with the international community and all human rights mechanisms on all issues concerning rule of law and accountability institutions in the country. But we will draw the line between parties that engage in good faith, and those that abuse and exploit these mechanisms to make demands of accountability with little or no factual basis.”
He assured the international community and other developmental partners of the Philippines’ commitment to further build on what they
have so far accomplished and would deepen their cooperation in human rights.
When interviewed by reporters on why the Philippine government previously denied the entry of Special Rapporteur for Extra Judicial Summary or Arbitrary Executions Agnes Callamard, but would welcome the two special rapporteurs, Guevarra replied: “I can’t speculate on the reasons why the government was not agreeable to a visit by Ms. Callamard years ago.”
“One thing sure, though, is that at present we have a formal legal framework, the Phil-UN joint program on technical cooperation for the protection and promotion of human rights, within which such visits of special rapporteurs could be carefully planned and implemented without any pre-existing bias,” he said.
Guevarra also informed the UNHRC that the DOJ-Review Panel would be forwarding for further investigation to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 250 additional cases of police anti-illegal drug operations that resulted in death.
The Review Panel “is now preparing to endorse to the Philippine NBI 250 cases that involve reported deaths arising from the government’s anti-illegal drugs operations in the Central Luzon area,” he said.
DOJ Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar later clarified that the “250 cases endorsed to NBI for case build-up and determination of possible criminal liability covers the period 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2020 involving anti-illegal drug operations where deaths occurred.”
Earlier, the Review Panel endorsed to the NBI 52 cases of which four have already reached actual prosecution in courts. The bureau is also preparing to file five more complaints to initiate the prosecution process against erring law enforcement operatives.