Panelo: PH beacon of rights

Ignoring brickbats from human rights advocates, Malacañang on Sunday insisted that the election of the Philippines to the UN Human Rights Council signified international acknowledgment of the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs.

Presidential legal counsel and spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the Philippines’ retention of its seat in the top human rights body showed that other nations regarded the country as observant and respectful of human rights.

“Like I said, the reelection of the Philippines [to] the UN Human Rights Council is a recognition of our country’s respect for human rights as well as measures taken by the government against illegal drugs,” he said in an interview.

He was commenting on widespread criticisms from international human rights groups that assailed the UN body’s decision as a step back for human rights because of accusations that the Duterte administration was behind extrajudicial killings of drug suspects.

Police counted more than 4,000 suspects slain during antidrug operations for fighting back. Thousands of other killings were listed as deaths under investigation.