MANILA, Philippines – Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Tuesday said that the Philippines will not sever ties with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) or any country even after the rights body adopted a resolution by Iceland seeking a comprehensive report on the human rights situation in the country.
“UNHRC vote is a small and harmless matter; we’re staying in UNHRC as a pedagogical duty to teach Europeans moral manners,” Locsin said on Twitter.
“We’re NOT severing diplomatic relations with any country. If we did, where’s the conversation? How do you insult those who insulted us if you cut them off?” he added.
UNHRC vote is a small and harmless matter; we;re staying in UNHRC as a pedagogical duty to teach Europeans moral manners. We're NOT severing diplomatic relations with any country. If we did, where's the conversation? How do you insult those who insulted us if you cut them off?
— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) July 15, 2019
Locsin also urged top national defense and security officials to continue sales talks with the countries that voted for or co-sponsored with the Iceland-backed resolution.
I have urged our top national defense & security officials to continue sales talks even with those who voted for/co-sponsored the Iceland resolution. As I said, we need to buy their weapons as they need to sell them to us because we must defend our national territory.
— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) July 15, 2019
“As I said, we need to buy their weapons as they need to sell them to us because we must defend our national territory,” he stated.
In a separate tweet, Locsin likewise rejected the possibility of the Philippines’ withdrawal from the United Nations earlier raised by Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.
READ: Sotto: PH may pull out of UN due to Iceland resolution
I already said no. We need to stay to educate the races that don’t shower daily. https://t.co/zL5DPPExP4
— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) July 15, 2019
“I already said no. We need to stay to educate the races that don’t shower daily,” Locsin said.
Locsin earlier said that he “never considered a second” to sever ties with Iceland, prior to a statement released by Malacañang that President Duterte is “seriously considering” cutting diplomatic relations with the European nation. /gsg
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