Members of Investigate PH, an international human rights coalition, have refuted the series of tweets made by Presidential Communications Secretary Martin M. Andanar who called them out for engaging in a "smear campaign" that undermines the "most important agenda of the day" -- prevailing over the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Peter Murphy, a coordinator of the coalition, said the 11 commissioners of Investigate PH “are leaders of global and national Christian church organizations, the global teachers' trade union, the main US lawyers association and the main global lawyers association, a leading law firm in Belgium, and respected national politicians."
Last Thursday, March 18, Andanar made several posts on Twitter and commented on the report made by Investigate PH to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), Michelle Bachelet.
The 198-page report, among other things, called out the Philippine government for its "insufficient and even illusory" response to the human rights violations by state forces.
"It is easy to see Investigate PH’s agenda to paint a dire picture of the human rights situation in the country, as an attempt to interfere in domestic politics and weigh in on issues ahead of national elections next year," Andanar tweeted.
He slammed the report for being "malicious" and invited the parties behind Investigate PH to "stop this smear campaign and promote a more reasoned political discourse in the Philippines that serves the Filipino people, and not their vested interest."
Andanar then urged Twitterverse to "reject this kind of dirty politics which detracts the Filipino public from the most important agenda of the day, which is ensuring that we successfully manage the prevailing challenges of the pandemic to our nation and that our recovery programs do not leave any Filipino behind, and they enable our communities and all sectors of the society to bounce back strongly from the impact of the pandemic."
In a statement issued on Friday, March 19, Murphy said Andanar should read their report and engage in the "corroborated facts" Investigate PH has assembled before making any judgment.
The findings are indeed "shocking," Murphy acknowledged, but it helps "bring into sharp question the claimed commitment by the Philippine government to protect the basic rights of the Filipino people."
The report, Murphy said, examined 49 illustrative cases of human rights violations that occurred sometime between 2020 and 2021. One of the issues raised by the coalition is the constant threats faced by members of the legal profession, he said.
"Lawyers, prosecutors, and judges who fail to support the repression are vilified by state security groups, and at least 61 have been killed. We urge Secretary Andanar to reflect on this abhorrent situation," he stressed.