Palace refutes Amnesty Int’l claim on gov’t rights policies

Roque reiterated that the Duterte administration’s campaign against illegal drugs is conducted through “legitimate police enforcement operations”.(ALFRED FRIAS/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)

MANILA – Malacañang on Friday refuted London-based rights group Amnesty International’s statement that President Rodrigo Duterte has made the Philippines ‘a far more dangerous place by abandoning human rights values.’

“There is no truth to that statement,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press statement.

Roque said Amnesty International’s statement contradicts a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey which showed that victims of common crimes are at a record-low of 6.1 percent in 2017.

The SWS survey also revealed that annual average for property crimes was also at record-low at 5.6 percent, the lowest in 28 years.

On the other hand, a Pulse Asia survey showed that 88 percent or more than eight out of 10 Filipinos support Duterte’s war on drugs.

Roque reiterated that the Duterte administration’s campaign against illegal drugs is conducted through “legitimate police enforcement operations”.

He said deaths arising from the operations are due to the drug personalities’ violent resistance to lawful apprehensions.

“As a member of the bar, the President has prosecuted murder as a capital offense. He, therefore, does not and will never condone extralegal killings, as he maintains zero tolerance for erring policemen who digress from standard protocols and abuse their power,” Roque said.

Recently, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said his government plans to replicate the success of Duterte’s war on drugs.

According to the #RealNumbersPH data, a total of 4,354 drug personalities died while 147,802 have been arrested in 102,630 anti-drug operations by the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Duterte had launched his campaign against illegal drugs right on his first day in office in July 2016, prompting over 1.2 million drug personalities to surrender to authorities.