DIPLOMATS have “toned down” their brash criticism on the country’s human rights record as a result of his bloody war on drugs, President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday.
“They have considerably toned down on human rights… But, mostly, they asked me about terrorism. None [on human rights],” Duterte told reporters in a hastily called media interview at Malacañang.
US State Department Secretary Rex Tillerson and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop both paid courtesy calls on Duterte at the sidelines of Asia’s biggest security forum, the Asean Regional Forum, in Manila, as Washington tries to exert pressure on Southeast Asian Nations to ‘downgrade’ its relations and press sanctions on Pyongyang over its intercontental ballistic missiles.
The Duterte administration has repeatedly defended its drug war against critics, saying reported figures—from 7,000 to 9,000—were overblown.
Despite his repeated defense of the drug war, Duterte assured Tillerson the Philippines would remain as its humble ally in the east, as he lamented that the ongoing territorial row over the South China Sea row had become a “nagging problem” that has hounded the region.
“I’m your humble ally in Southeast Asia,” Duterte told the visiting US diplomat in his opening remarks.
The President stressed that while the regional landscape had changed, the long-standing friendship between Washington and Manila would remain.
“I am happy to see you again and you come at a time when the world is not good—especially the Korean Peninsula, of course, and the ever nagging problem [of South China Sea],” Duterte said.
“Whatever happened, I know you’re worried there … We are friends, we are allies, and we [are] also doing [our part] to help,” he added.
Duterte was joined by senior members of his Cabinet during the meeting, including Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, while Tillerson was accompanied by US Ambassador to Manila Sung Kim.
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said among the issues Duterte had raised were terrorism and the Balangiga Bells.
“We expect the President to discuss with Secretary Tillerson a wide-range of relevant issues including the security situation in Marawi, the global threat of terrorism, increasing Philippine-US economic and people-to-people engagement, the Balangiga bells, among others,” Abella said.
“We also welcome the opportunity to address concerns such as human rights, if and when raised. We have included this issue in our discussion and engagement with foreign governments particularly Western democracies,” he added.
Soon as getting into office, Duterte waged his controversial drug war resulting in more than 3,151 deaths from July 1, 2016 to June 13, 2017 alone, according to government statistics.
Official data from the Philippine National Police have also pegged the number of homicide cases at 9,432 from July 2016 to March 2017.
