"The reports are nothing but a rehash of old and recycled issues."

This was how Malacañang described the US State Department's 2021 Reports on Human Rights Practices in the Philippines, saying the United States should put its embassy officials in Manila to work to verify the information it is getting.

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar made the statement after the US State Department said in its report that it found "credible" information that members of the Philippine security forces committed "significant" and "numerous" human rights abuses.

In a statement on Black Saturday, April 16, Andanar said the report of the US State Department was baseless and nothing new.

"We consider the reports utterly devoid of bases. If at all, the reports are nothing but a rehash of old and recycled issues by the perennial detractors of the Duterte Administration," he said.

"To reiterate, these allegations, including violations committed by law enforcement officers in the conduct of the government’s anti-illegal drugs campaign, have all been previously addressed," he added.

The US Department listed the following "significant" human rights issues it found based on "credible" reports:

• Unlawful or arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings, by and on behalf of the government and non-state actors
• Reports of forced disappearance by and on behalf of the government and non-state actors
• Torture by and on behalf of the government and non-state actors
• Harsh and life-threatening prison conditions
• Arbitrary detention by and on behalf of the government and non-state actors
• Serious problems with the independence of the judiciary
• Arbitrary and unlawful interference with privacy
• Serious abuses in a conflict, including unlawful recruitment or use of child soldiers by terrorists and groups in rebellion against the government
• Serious restrictions on free expression and media, including violence, threats of violence, unjustified arrests or prosecutions of journalists, censorship, and the use of criminal libel laws to punish journalists
• High-level and widespread government corruption
• Serious government restrictions on or harassment of domestic human rights organizations
• Threats and violence against labor activists

According to Andanar, "The United States has once again displayed how infirm its intelligence gathering is with its recent claim of 'credible' reports of human rights violations by the Philippine government."

He added that "engaged verification is key" in avoiding a similar incident.

"We strongly suggest that the United States State Department validate reports that reach their office, triangulate the same with all other open and institutional sources, and put to work its political officers in the US embassy in the Philippines who can then properly verify the same with the Philippine government," Andanar said.