Locsin:  Iceland resolution a ‘nothing, dead resolution’

MANILA, Philippines — Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Wednesday said the Iceland resolution that aims to look into the human rights situation in the Philippines is “nothing” and a “dead resolution.”

Locsin was asked to clarify his tweet on Monday where he said the resolution adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in July is “forgiven,” quoting another tweet of a news website on the sailing crew of the biggest and newest ship of the Philippine Coast Guard starting their training in France.

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“Because it’s a nothing resolution. It’s a nothing resolution, because at the end of the road it failed… It did not pass. The majority was abstention and no, so it was a dead resolution,” the Foreign Affairs Secretary said

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Locsin acknowledged that 18 of the 47 member states of the UNHRC voted in favor of the draft resolution filed by Iceland, but also noted that 14 voted no and 15 other states abstained.

“[The ‘yes’ votes] did win over the ‘no,’ but if you add the abstention, it was not carried, and under some parliamentary rules, that does not carry. The point is they cannot do anything about it,” he added.

Locsin also reiterated that he does not favor foreign observers looking into the country’s human rights situation, including the drug war killings, since according to him, they have already judged government authorities in the Philippines as human rights violators, particularly in the drug war.

“I already said those bastards, especially that woman, [are] acting like the queen in Alice in Wonderland. First, the judgement, then the trial. [So] no,” he said.

Locsin was referring to United Nations special rapporteur Agnes Callamard, a vocal critic of President Rodrigo Duterte.

As he “forgives” the Iceland  resolution, Locsin said the Philippines will remain in the UNHRC and will continue to debate on issues even those not concerning the country.

“There are political debates ongoing with other countries, who are our allies and who we feel are wrongly accused of human rights violations, and we will still be there voting for them against their accusers or in favor of their accusers against them if they are really in the wrong,” he said. /muf