(L-R) UN special rapporteur Michel Forst (Image via Michael Forst Twitter account); Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo (UNTV News)
MANILA, Philippines – Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Thursday (December 20) railed against United Nations Special Rapporteur (UNSR) Michel Forst’s for calling the government to stop alleged violence against human rights defenders in the country.
Panelo slammed Forst’s report as “not only reckless but irresponsible as well for it not only demeans the integrity of UNSR system but the entire UN mechanism itself”.
On his report released on Wednesday (December 19), Forst claimed that: “The stigmatization, defamation, judicial harassment, arbitrary arrest and criminalization of defenders is a key area of concern” in the country.
Forst claimed that human rights defenders in the Philippines are “facing high risks, such as women human rights defenders, indigenous human rights defenders, land and environmental rights defenders, and journalists” and so he calls on the administration to “end immediately all forms of violations against human rights defenders, including extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.”
Panelo said local groups “supported by resentful politicians belonging to the opposition” are “using the UN as a platform to parrot baseless criticisms” against the government and the Palace is “fed up” of this practice.
“For too long has the UN been used by these detractors as a tool for vilification. UNSRs should be less gullible as this reinforces the President’s contempt for them who have consistently manifested bias against the Philippines,” the Presidential Spokesperson said.
“If Mr. Forst only checked his facts first, he would have known that organizations presenting themselves as so-called human rights defenders never had it so good under the Duterte administration,” he added.
Panelo cited the Philippines’ recent election as one of the UN’s 165 member-states for the fifth time. This manifests that the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is in support to the UN’s advocacy including the protection and in respect for human rights and its advocates.
Panelo assured that human rights defenders in the country can “fully exercise all their rights to air issues and concerns related to their advocacies in an environment that is free and secure from any threat or harassment”.
He challenged the local groups critical of the administration, accused of feeding Forst false information, to file cases of violations of human rights against their own members.
Unless they can do so, Panelo told them “to refrain from making a fool of these UNSRs, a mockery of the UN, as well as using their allegations as leverage to secure financial resources from over-trusting funding institutions.” – Marje Pelayo
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