United States Senator Edward Markey will meet this week with Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla purportedly to discuss human rights initiatives and programs.
Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesman Jose Dominic Clavano said the Remulla-Markey meeting is set within the week.
Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, is one of the US senators who have been calling for an end to alleged human rights abuses committed during the anti-illegal drugs war under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Markey and 10 other US senators had written to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last year asking the US government to condemn the human rights abuses under the Duterte administration.
Markey also authored a 2019 US Senate resolution that barred the entry to the US of Philippine officials who were involved in the detention of former Senator Leila De Lima.
As a result, then President Duterte, also in 2019, declared Markey persona non grata in the Philippines.
In a related development, the DOJ said the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) should increase its personnel in response to proposals to deploy CHR representatives in anti-illegal drugs operations of law enforcement agencies.
House Deputy Minority Leader Bernadette Herrera has filed House Bill 1011 proposing the presence of “CHR agents” in police operations against suspected drug traffickers to prevent possible human rights violations.
“It may be a good idea if the CHR can ramp up their manpower. I am not sure if they have the resources to do that. In any case, the Secretary has given his assurance that the DOJ, on its part, will be transparent with the CHR,” Clavano stressed.