'Snub them', President Duterte tells police, soldiers on any UN human rights probe

photo file (ctto)

Snub them!

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte cannot be clearer on his marching orders for the Philippine National

Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Following the call of Iceland’s foreign minister Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson in the opening of the 37th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, Switzerland to have the Philippines be further investigated for its alleged human rights violations.

The President in his speech in Davao city told his audience that he will not cooperate with the United Nations investigators looking into the alleged extrajudicial killings under his administration, giving his orders to the PNP and the AFP not to cooperate in any way to any probe.

This stand by the President is quite a contrast from pronouncement of his top diplomat regarding the country’s readiness to cooperate within the mechanisms of the Human Rights Council.

The Duterte administration through its Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Peter Allan Cayetano already has expressed its willingness and readiness to open the country to the United Nation’s probe provided the country will be investigated objectively and unbiased.

"All we ask for is fairness. There are 7.5 billion people in the world; send us anyone except one who has already prejudged us, and who, by any measure, cannot be considered independent, more so, objective," Secretary Cayetano said in his speech , and referring to the United Nation’s special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings Agnes Callamard.

"When the human rights or whoever is that rapporteur arrives, my order to you is, do not answer... Who are they and who are you to interfere in the way I would run my country?" he told a gathering of police and military in his hometown in Davao.  

"If they ask you about wrongdoing, do not answer. And if they ask you why, tell them: we have a commander in chief," who they should speak to, the President said.

"You're investigating us, fact finding? Well sorry, do not f*** with me," Duterte said, referring to the rapporteur.

Source: Philstar