Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año assured the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) Thursday that people’s rights are protected and respected in the Philippines as the country relentlessly pursues its battle against illegal drugs.
(NTF AGAINST COVID-19 / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
This statement was issued in response to the European Parliament’s resolution on the drug war in the Philippines.
“Rest assured that being the department charged with public order and safety and local government supervision, we maximize inter-agency partnerships to address various aspects of the drug problem,’’ Año said.
In coordination with other concerned enforcement agencies, Año stressed the government enforces “deliberate and responsible law enforcement operations to address the supply of illegal drugs in the Philippines.’’
Emphasizing that human rights violations are not tolerated in the government’s drug war, Año cited they have already prosecuted the killers of slain victim Kian Delos Santos as well as dismissed cops proven to have committed abusive and unacceptable behavior in their line of duty.
“We are coordinating with authorities in the Philippine National Police in ensuring that checks and balances are well carried out such as their designation of human rights officers in police stations,’’ he added.
Through the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs, Año said the government had published drug-related cases to ensure both transparency and credible implementation of justice in the country.
Explaining further, Año clarified that emphasis on curbing the demand for illegal drugs “as seen in our rehabilitation efforts and massive information drives against drug use.’’
With the active participation of the local government units (LGUs) in the drug war, Año said the DILG and law enforcement agencies are regularly monitoring the progress and activities of the localities through the routine Anti-Drug Abuse Council (ADAC) Audits.
The audit, Año said, ensures that the LGUs are properly implementing the Community-Based Rehabilitation Program for drug surrenderers and are strengthening the operations of their Balay Silangan Program to help drug users recover from their addiction.
“We also incentivize our best performing LGUs in the anti-illegal drugs campaign through the ADAC Awards. In addition to this, we included compliance to anti-illegal drug laws and ordinances as criteria of our Seal of Good Local Governance award, he noted.
In all these measures, Año cited that DILG is fully committed in abiding by the 1987 Philippine Constitution and “swear to respect every individual’s rights as we, together with the interior and local government sectors, serve and protect the Filipino people.’’
In conclusion, Año said the DILG “appreciates the concern shown by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the alleged human rights violations in the government’s drive against illegal drugs in the Philippines.’’