Yasay to UN: Duterte admin’s war on drugs has been misunderstood

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Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. has assured member states of the United Nations that the government remains committed to international norms and human rights amid criticisms on summary killings of drug suspects.

He said the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, corruption and crime has been widely misunderstood.

“Our actions, however, have grabbed both the national headlines and international attention for all the wrong reasons,” Yasay told UN General Assembly in New York on Saturday.

Yasay clarified that it was never the government’s policy to kill people involved in the illegal drugs trade, but police officers have the right to defend themselves from criminal elements who resist arrest.

Two UN rapporteurs earlier criticized the Duterte administration’s war on drugs that has led to summary killings of drug suspects, reaching more than 3,000 now.

“We have not and will never empower our law enforcement agents to shoot-to-kill any individual suspected of drug crimes. And yet, under our established rules of engagement, our police have the right to defend themselves when their lives are threatened,” said Yasay in a statement issued by the UN on Sunday.

He stressed that “extrajudicial killings have no place in our society and in our criminal justice system.”

Yasay said President Duterte has declared the rule of law and respect for due process should prevail at all times.

He urged foreign ministers from UN member states gathered for the annual assembly in New York to understand the deeply seated problem of corruption that led to the worsening crime and prevalence of illegal drugs in the Philippines.

“Our people recognize the peril these evils pose to our development and our democracy,” he said.

He said corruption has been “a breeding ground” for illegal-drug trade, which seriously threatens the country’s peace and order and impedes sustainable development.

“It has torn apart many of our communities, destroyed our families, and snuffed out the hopes and dreams of our people – young and old – for a bright future,” he said. TVJ

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