Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. today said he himself would block the entry into the country of Agnes Callamard ‘’and a lynch mob’’ who have already prejudged the human rights situation in the Philippines.
Locsin made the remark during a budget hearing of the DFA by a Senate finance sub-committee where Senator Imee R. Marcos cited a news report that the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has downgraded an outside investigation into alleged human rights violations in the Philippines.
The UNHRC also decided to give technical assistance to the Philippines in its capability building efforts.
Locsin told Marcos and Gordon that his argument is that against critics of the Philippines on the human rights issue are harping on figures that are ‘’completely incredible.’'
He said it is not in the best interest of the Philippines to let things happen and that it could not use a dirty broom in cleaning its affairs.
Callamard, the United Nations special rapporteur for extrajudicial and summary executions, had urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to “prioritize the completion” of its preliminary investigation into the human rights situation in the Philippines and for UN member states to “apply sanctions against individual Philippine officials” involved in rights abuses.
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has human rights watchdogs who have noted that, despite UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michele Bachelet’s damning report on the Philippines’ human rights situation last June, extrajudicial killings of drug suspects and human rights workers have not abated and continued even during the pandemic.
‘’I will not cooperate with them,’’ Locsin said.
‘’If I see them, I myself will block them from coming,’’ he added.
Locsin explained the Philippine side in Vienna.
Referring to the intractable international drug trade, Locsin said: ‘’We need help. We are fighting the most lucrative business in the world.’’